Some Winter Wonders

With a little less than a month to go before the official start of spring, I know that a lot of naturalists (myself included) are eagerly anticipating the first trickle of spring arrivals that will soon be showing up.  

As much as I enjoy watching for signs of spring, it can also be rewarding to spend time checking out the ordinary winter sights.

Winter is also the time for my yearly nest box cleanouts.  This year seems to be good for Screech Owls as I have found a couple of these cute little guys in residence.  My nest box manual says to let the owls fly off and they will return when the box is replaced, but the ones I find barely open their eyes when I peek in.  I don't want to disturb their sleep so I'll have to return and clean the boxes later.

Sound Asleep :-)