After a week away from home base we returned to find springtime well underway.  The Phoebe chicks living atop a gutter downspout were enormous compared to just 10 days earlier.  The below photo shows just two of the four bulging over the side of the nest.  The chicks stayed warm and safe during the recent heavy rain and below average temperatures.  Just 4 days after this photo was taken, they left the safety of their home to fly off into a new world.  

Phoebes 1 WEB

This baby mouse and siblings were living in a rock garden just below the Phoebe nest.

Baby Mouse14 mod

Best of all.....one of our local box turtles, a female named Chip, came out of hiding.  This is the eighth year that we've witnessed Chip and other box turtles rendezvous for their annual meet and greet.  The cold weather has no doubt delayed this sometimes comical ritual but with temperatures rising, we expect to see more turtles within the next two weeks.  

See my previous post for more information about box turtles.

Chip 1 16x9 webDCIM\103GOPRO Chip 2 16x9 webDCIM\103GOPRO

In the next post I'll share what's been happening in the woods with a few clips from the trail camera.