Late Winter Island Birds and Sunrises

Greetings from the island everyone, I hope that all of you are doing well, and hanging in there with these cold temps and high winds. Spring is a mere month or so away, soon to be bringing warm sunshiny days and green grass growing and ready to be mowed.

Even though winter is roughly two-thirds over, I’ve learned to never discount that there could certainly still be some cold and frosty days forthcoming. My dad has always said to be very cautious about planting anything in the ground before Grandpa Otto’s birthday on March 12, as there is always a possibility of frost or freeze before then.

I’ll soon be getting my tomato seeds started in my little greenhouse, with expectations of those plants going in the raised beds and large tub containers around the first of April. The late hard blowing north winds are my primary young tomato plants enemy out here on the island, always needing to offer them protection until they become established and stronger.

I’m not sure if it’s an indication that Spring is nearing, but I’ve been seeing a lot of little birds throughout the island. Mainly little sparrow sized birds, along with doves and blackbirds. I’ll be sitting outside on the porch, and the little sparrows will occasionally land on one of the chairs or tables edge for a few moments before taking off. I’m gonna need to get me a bird feeder and hang somewhere, to hopefully keep them coming back each year.

Another much larger bird that I enjoy watching this time of year are the beautiful white pelicans. Every year around the beginning of December, when the weather begins turning cooler, the white pelicans begin arriving. They certainly appear to be larger than our brown pelicans, and are so graceful both in flight and on the water. Sometimes, in the very early morning hours, I’ll wake up to a large flock of them having made their way into the lagoon in front of the cabin. I’m sure they are looking for baitfish to feed on, and they will stay for awhile before paddling back out into the bay. In the Spring, the white pelicans migrate back to their summer nesting areas in the Great Basin and Great Plains, or the northwest regions of the United States. I always look forward to seeing them here every winter.

I’ve been enjoying some beautiful island sunrises and sunsets over Matagorda Bay lately. Cold mornings and evenings tend to have that clear crispness, making sunrises and sunsets much more vibrant and stunning. Even though those early mornings are too cold to sit outside for coffee, I’ll watch the sunrises from the bedroom upstairs before I head downstairs to start my day. And the late evening sunsets over the waters of Matagorda Bay, are beautiful to see. There’s just something about a sunset over water that makes it a bit more special.

Well that’s it from the island for now. Everyone take care and have a most wonderful day.