Exciting sighting

I went out this afternoon to take some pictures of the wild flowers that have been popping up everywhere... even the Dutchman's breeches are out. 

On my way towards one of my favorite spots on the farm to get pictures of the breeches... I spotted something in the middle of our trail. I really couldn't believe my eyes since I knew what I was looking at, but it's something I've seen maybe twice in the seven years I've lived on this farm.

Two wild rabbits sitting in the trail... TWO of them! Over this past winter we saw rabbit tracks in this spot a lot, but were not lucky enough to spot the rabbits. I wouldn't have been lucky today either if I had brought the dogs with me as I planned. Last minute I decided I'd walk them to the turtle pond, when I got home from taking pictures of the flowers.

Amazingly they waited a few moments before deciding they better get the heck out of there. 

 It's always exciting to see wildlife on the farm but seeing two wild rabbits is an extra special treat. With the fisher cats running loose around here and the coyote population up, the rabbit population has been down. Also they do run on cycles, so this must be their good year. It was even better to be able to get some pictures of them before they took of. They seemed curious of me at first and not afraid, until I got too close for comfort.

And now, for the shots of the Dutchman's Breeches...

 My favorite part of spring is the return of the wild flowers, and how awake the forest becomes. The beautiful quiet of winter turns into the beautiful song of spring. Turkey's gobbling, Partridge drumming, frogs croaking, birds singing... Everyone wakes up and prepares for the easy days of summer when the sun is warm and the food is easy to find and plentiful.

The evenings have been beautiful, calm and the sun that hides throughout most of the day, seems to peak out then. But we do need rain, this is April, and we've had very little rain, and there was very little snow to melt. It's calling for rain the next few days and while that will keep us away from some of our outdoor projects, the forest needs it.