I am thrilled to report the mallards are back!

You remember them, no doubt, the courageous couple who–just last summer–nested beneath the daylilies on the edge of our koi(-less) pond. It was the drama of the season, if you don’t include the saga of Harry and the bluebird babies, since the mallard story involved nine gigantic eggs, two large gorging snakes, and one human’s year-long fear of retribution from all of reptiledom. (I may or may not have lost my head and insisted that my brave husband bludgeon the first IT’S DEFINITELY POISONOUS snake, which he did just for me.) You’ll find that entire story here.

i love them.

The Canada geese are back, as well.

We’ve been raising babies together since that first big gaggle in 2009 and I love these devoted parents and each and every little ball of yellow fur like it was our very first. I also worry about each like it is the primary target of all the big ol’ turtles out there, which sadly happens to be true.

our little family, circa 2010

She-Blu and He-Blu are everywhere, flying in tandem, fishing like there’s no tomorrow. (For a long time we didn’t realize there were two blue herons, so rare is it to see them together.) This morning I spotted one of them on the Eagle’s perch in the Cope’s side yard. What is up with that?

As if that’s not enough, guess who else showed  up?

The Eagles! They’ve been about, and Sunday afternoon, one or the other showed up to hang with us all during a happy hour cocktail down on the deck at the edge of our yard. I can’t remember the last time one of them came to sit in those trees—outposts they used to frequent.

And I must say, that’s nothing compared to the goings-on of the songbirds. Yes, love is all around and I will tell you that story next time. (There just might be a bluebird sighting.)

The promise of Spring. So happy it has come to Bickley’s Pond!

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