AS the snow melts

The view from our door yesterday.

 Snow Buddha or woman?

Not sure if it's the latitude or the altitude, but the sun is stronger here and 40 degrees can seem warm if there is no wind.  Those parts of the streets and trails in the shade are still icy at least in the morning.  In any case we got out and back today, seeing and sometimes photographing some neat stuff.

I photographed a ruddy duck in winter plumage, long billed dowagers, a few cranes at a distance, an egret, and the resident great horned owl as well as some usual suspects including a black phoebe.

 Ruddy Duck with a dirty face

 The cranes were shy today.
 

 Black Phoebe

Long billed dowagers

 Cinnamon Teals touching down

 Egret

 Great horned owl

 Avoiding the shutter was a beautiful Road Runner who was in deep cover by the time I pulled the car off the highway and  clamored out with my camera - a coyote was too fast also.