Wild Swan

First thing I saw when I stepped out of the door this morning? Two robins, playing around in the snow. So spring must really be on the way.

Strange as it may seem, mid-February is when I usually start to see birds again.

Anyway, I headed out to the marsh for the first time in a bit. It's hard to negotiate when it's under snow. The inlet was frozen with glassy ice and the wind was biting, but near the road bridge, and huddled up against the cold, was a single swan. It's not uncommon to see swans at Belle Isle, but they don't stick around, and this one was surely passing through. Hard not to feel a bit sorry for it, stuck out on the ice in such an exposed spot, trying to get a bit of sleep. It really just wanted to keep its head under its wing, and only looked up to make sure that I wasn't up to anything too nefarious.

Later on, I got a great view of a Northern harrier, patrolling the flats. So life is beginning to stir and move again, in spite of all of the snow.