Rain, beautiful rain, began falling today.  It was the first really good downpour this spring.  My rain gauge shows that 2cm has fallen already.  There's more to come tonight.  

It didn't take long for the greens to look greener.  I'm sure the flowers stood taller and the smell was the freshest ever.  Three rain barrels are full.  I had to open the valve on the collector because I didn't have room for more.

There was a break between showers this evening and I couldn't resist heading to the pond at the Strathcona Wilderness Centre.  I knew there would be some action there.  The baby geese have hatched and were swimming earlier in the day.

I was the only person there tonight.  Water drops dripped from the leaf buds.  The blackbirds perched atop some old cattail heads.  Yellow warblers flitted between the willow branches.  Ducks swam on the pond.  The geese were not in the water.  One pair was busy playing crossing guard; trying to get their goslings across the road to the pond on the other side.

Tree swallows have taken up residence in the birdhouses mounted on the fence posts alongside the pond.  As I walked by, they swooped over my head.  One did not seem to mind having a human close by.  I got to within 10 feet of it.  As I snapped my photos, it appeared to strike a number of poses just for me.

The air was fresh and cooling off for the night.  What a perfect time for a walk after the rain.