SPRING TEASE

It's Mono Monday and the challenge is What Spring Means to Me.
~
In these parts, Spring is an elusive concept. It often takes weeks for it to manifest itself. It starts with a gradual thawing of the local lakes and rivers; we see here the Mullet River, a Class IIa trout stream. After weeks of well below freezing temperatures, out of nowhere, a warm day arrives and the rivers start to flow with gusto as the snow and ice gradually melts.  But it's just a tease......a day later and it's back to freezing temps.
~
This back and forth swaying of temperatures signals the eventual coming of Spring. Let's also throw in the arrival of the Red-winged Blackbirds and American Robins. You'll see a male Red-wing in the extras clinging to a cattail and declaring his territory to the rest of the bird world......he's saying, "Keep your feathers out of here...this is MY territory."  He's staking out his part of the countryside awaiting the arrival of the females. He sets the territory and she selects him.
~
Between his arrival and the alternate freeze/thaw of the rivers and lakes, several more snows will fall before Spring finally arrives. The locals say it has to snow three times on the robin's tail before Spring truly arrives. Mother Nature shows no respect for the calendars of humans.
~
Best viewed in Large.