Today has been a day of pleasant surprises. First one occurred when we saw it was 9C this morning, not the 0C we had yesterday morning. Which inspired a sunny breakfast with a big smiley-face and the anticipation that we'd enjoy a beautiful spring day. Until we looked at the paper which gave the forecast informing us that the wide blue sky that had shone uninterruptedly last night, hosting a brilliant spring moon would cloud over by afternoon, dismissing the morning sun as high winds picked up and rain began.

Since we had an afternoon appointment at the veterinarian clinic, we decided we'd go out earlier than usual with Jackie and Jillie to enjoy a long circuit through the ravine's forest before the weather turned. Even though we were out early, clouds had moved in, the sun was cloistered and the wind turned the mild temperature slightly tempestuous. Still, mild enough that Jackie and Jillie needed no sweaters for comfort.

 

We weren't out long before we had a surprise visitor; Millie suddenly appeared before us, eagerly greeting the Cookie Man and offering to relieve him of some of those cookies weighting down his pack. He was happy to oblige, we hadn't seen her in such a long time. Even Jackie and Jillie were happy to see Millie, since if she was getting big cookies, they could cadge little ones for themselves.

 

Even with the wind and the disappearance of the sun, the temperature had nudged up to 18C, so the day demanded we make the most of our opportunity to enjoy a fine midspring day. We are so familiar with the terrain that we know where to look for wildflowers that tend to colonize specific areas on the forest floor. I wanted to see whether the trout lilies had begun to make an appearance, even the trilliums. What we did see is that the lilies-of-the-valley that had already erupted in the areas we most generally frequent had yet to make an appearance anywhere along the larger circuit.

 

But the trout lilies, although not yet in flowering mode (and they wouldn't flower unless the sun was out to begin with) were there in abundance, and to our great gratification so too were the purple trilliums beginning to make their appearance in other familiar areas. 

 

 

The forest floor on the forest plateau above the ravine where we soon found ourselves, remains saturated from all the rain that has occupied our days of late. Assuring us that before long our walks will be accompanied by hordes of mosquitoes, not  yet in evidence.

 

Our morning adventure had more in store for us, in spring flora and fauna appearances. Up in the forest canopy we could hear crows assembling and calling. And looking up in their direction, where some were settling on the trees, nearby there was a barred owl in residence. We hear the  owls on occasion, but haven't actually seen them for quite awhile. But there was a fellow, looking down at us. We returned the compliment, then moved on.

 

Approaching the forest creek, preparing to mount one of the bridges, we looked for the presence of the Mallards, and found them too in residence. Mrs. Mallard, as usual, busy eating algae, with her mate paddling next to her. They too were making the most of a beautiful day. And nor were they the only ones for not far from their aquatic picnic lunch, we saw a flash of black-and-white and realized that a Hairy woodpecker had entered the scene, busying itself on a tree trunk, perusing it up and down for the best vantage point it could domineer for its lunch.