Springtime Joys

Well, (as I write) today is Easter Monday...the day after Easter, and we are settling back into our normal routines. Springtime has sprung most everywhere.  Here in Florida where we live it has been spring for a while, even though this past weekend even we saw some pretty chilly weather again for a few days.  But today was gloriously sunny and a bit warmer with low humidity, which is wonderful for us, even though we could use some more rain.

I've noticed some interesting signs of spring the past couple of days, so I thought I would share them with you.  On our evening walk there were actually two of these large dragonflies hovering around us as we walked.  One finally settled on a dried up bush to eat whatever it was that it seemed to like, and he stayed long enough for me to get a few pictures.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tramea_carolina, or "Carolina Saddlebags Dragonfly"  

Isn't he interesting?

I was happy he stood still long enough to let us get a good look at him.

Until this evening, this was as close as I could get to him:

And then Lily Grace said, "Hey! Don't forget my picture with him!" Which I took when we were waiting for him to land somewhere long enough to take those pictures above.  Yes, Lily loves to go along for our walks and she especially likes to see these new interesting things.

Now, in this next series of pictures you may begin to feel a bit like a "peeping Tom", watching the private lives of the Great Blue Herons in our trees on Still Waters Pond.

First there was just this one:

And I thought he was pretty handsome up in the tree on our little island in Still Waters Pond:

Preening and just hanging out, actually just above the Canadian Geese couple down below who appear to be nesting also on the island these days...

But then I looked over at the next tree nearby where he was, and saw these two herons, obviously very interested in each other:

Our first Heron also noticed them, and seems quite interested in whatever is going on over there in the next tree:

They were enjoying each other's company:

And if you look carefully a few branches below that couple, there is another heron in the same tree!

They don't seem too concerned about him, however:

They do make a very handsome couple, don't you agree?

They seem quite smitten with each other:

I'm a little confused at this point which Heron this one is...#1, or the other one hanging around the couple:

Oh, look at the one's top notch! I think that must be a sign that he is quite interested in the young lady beside him:

Yes, she seems quite interested in him as well:

Maybe having a shy moment:

Probably because there are just too many onlookers to their courtship:

Wait a minute! Is that another one in the branches above the courting couple? Look up at the trunk:

Yes, they see him too:

Well I'll be jiggered if there isn't a total of five herons in these trees! How many do YOU see?

I did notice that one of the extra herons was gathering long branches as if building a nest, but this was Saturday, and they did come back for a while yesterday (Sunday), but I have not seen them at all today...so I don't know if they've decided to move on to a different location or if they will be back. But I was surprised to read in that article about Great Blue Herons that "breeding birds will gather in colonies or "heronries" to build stick nests high off the ground."  So we shall see what this "heronry" of birds decides to do.  

Meanwhile, Mr. Canada Goose has been standing guard either on our shore or out in the water, keeping a close watch on any other bird activity while his lady love is sitting on a nest on the same island.  I don't know if she has actually laid her eggs yet or not, because she does occasionally leave the nest, but she always goes right back there...so I am hopeful there will be some baby goslings sometime this spring.

Just as I was typing this I heard Mr. Goose start honking again and that was to let his lady love know he is swimming back around to check on her. It is getting dark:

But as I zoomed in on the island, I could see her sitting there eagerly awaiting him to come.

Well, the sun has gone down over our little island;

And the peepers and bullfrogs are starting their nightly singing...

and peace reigns once again on Still Waters Pond.

I hope that you have a blessed and beautiful night.

We read two different verses in our Ladies' Bible Study today that I liked:

Proverbs 3:24
"When you lie down, you will not be afraid;

Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet."

And 

Zephaniah 3:17

"The Lord your God in your midst,

The Mighty One, will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing."

May your sleep be sweet tonight...and may you actually hear the voice of God as 

He rejoices over you with singing.

Good Night dear friends.