Spring Hyacinth

Spring Hyacinth, originally uploaded by nakedtram.

Today I enjoyed the nice warm spring weather. I trimmed away some of the dead foliage from last fall and was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of new growth lurking underneath. The only flowers showing so far are the hyacinths in purple, pink and white.

Dave Stafford Architecture

Check out this awesome new architecture firm in Rapid City.

http://www.davestaffordarchitecture.com/

IMGP4074.jpg

IMGP4074.jpg, originally uploaded by nakedtram.

Here is one of the cranes up close. Lucy stared at it intently through the rear passenger window of our car.

Sand Hill Cranes in flight

Sand Hill Cranes in flight, originally uploaded by nakedtram.

Another charismatic mega-fowl we observed today were the Sand Hill Cranes. A trio were grazing near the roadside, then took flight when a passing car got too close.

Trumpeter Swan

IMGP4108.jpg, originally uploaded by nakedtram.

On our way out of Carlos Avery (a state wildlife sanctuary about a half hour north of Minneapolis) we saw a pair of Trumpeter Swans. These large guys dwarfed the Canada goose that was swimming nearby. One was banded (Z85) around the neck. They spent most of the time with their heads under water. They're stained slightly pink on their heads and bellies -- I suppose due to iron or some other mineral in the water.

IMGP3920.jpg

IMGP3920.jpg, originally uploaded by nakedtram.

Happy puppy!