When the temp reaches 10c, the sun is shining, conditions are calm and the date is April 9, the outdoors beckons. It was a rare morning, indeed, and I was grateful to be able to go out and enjoy it. Long Pond offers one of the longest pond walks in the city, aside from Quidi Vidi. At Long Pond much of the trail is surrounded by woods, and while parts of the north trail were a bit tricky with some icy patches remaining, it was one of those special opportunities to get lost in my surroundings.
There is a hint of greening on the deciduous trees, and there were signs of spring all around.
This year we had a number of robins that stayed around St. John's all winter and tended to congregate. Now that spring is here, there seems to be a whole new crop of robins joining the bold and the brave. I have noticed some of the returning robins don't have this really red breast but rather show an orange tint. I'm not quite sure why that is.
At any rate, the large flocks of robins have now paired off and are busy hunting for new digs to raise a family.
On the south side of the pond, I came upon a pair of Pine Siskins gathering materials for their nest. If this is any indication, there should be a siskin nest close to the gazebo by the boat house sometime in the near future. It was interesting that these two were not wary of me at all as they went about their business.
On the east end of the pond, I saw one Song Sparrow and heard another one. Bird song has returned to the neighborhood.
Everywhere I looked, birds were paired off and looking mighty handsome.
Beginnings was the theme for this morning's walk. How can one not be hopeful when embraced by the sun's warmth and the amazing signs of spring? When I finished my stroll around the pond, I checked my watch and found that I had taken an hour and a half to make it around the pond. Where did that time go?
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