Spring Peepers

One evening this past week while photographing the setting sun from the patio above our  Casita, I heard the Spring Peepers (members of the group of chirping frogs known as "chorus frogs") singing in the forested wetlands in the preserve next to the property. The sound transported me to my childhood in New Jersey as it was a much celebrated sign that spring had arrived, even if the weather had not lost its chill. 

I remember searching for the tiny creatures with a flashlight, wading through the muddy snowmelt. The individuals whistled a plaintive "wheep!" but their calls combined loudly to create overtones which sounded almost like the tinkling of silver bells. As I approached, those nearest would stop calling and disappear under the leaf litter and vegetation.

Spring Peepers inhabit much of eastern North America, but their range does not extend into the south Florida or the arid western United States where I have spent most of my adult life. Hearing them now in Connecticut raises my anticipation to see budding tree leaves and the return of migrating birds.

Resident American Goldfinch males were molting into breeding colors:

This male House Finch had particularly bright red plumage:

A male Northern Cardinal looked at me as I shot through the window glass:

Two pairs of Mourning Doves were frequent visitors:

A male Downy Woodpecker at the suet station was joined by his mate:

A pair of  Song Sparrows were building a nest in the Rhododendrons next to the house:

Eastern Bluebirds continued to visit the nest boxes but did not seem to have settled in:

 This is the view of the bluebird box at the edge of the lawn, looking through our office window:

My yard list of birds seen on the property is up to 37 species, of which I photographed 28, but all are normal winter residents. The latest addition was a Chipping Sparrow:

An afternoon April shower produced a nice rainbow over the woodlands surrounding Diamond Lake:

We watched another gorgeous sunset from the upstairs patio (That's the back yard bird house in the lower right of the photo):

Looking through the window very early in the morning on April 11, the waxing gibbous Pink Moon set over Hartford, about 11 miles to the west and about 800 feet lower in elevation: 

 

Moments later, the Moon disappeared behind a ridge beyond the city:

I had high hopes of getting out to photograph a Spring Peeper for this post but never set eyes on one.  My New Jersey friend Dave Blinder did much better than I. Back in 2013, he posted his first ever photo of one on FLICKR. Dave wrote: "I've been hearing these guys peeping amidst the small polluted swamp in the backyard. First time trying to shoot frogs at night, I'll probably try to improve on the shot sooner or later." (April 10, 2013, Denville, NJ). Here is a link to his photo © DRB 2013 all rights reserved.

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Linking to:

Garden Affair

Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Saturday's Critters

BirdD'Pot

All Seasons

Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Natasha Musing

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World

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Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
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