The morning was calm and beautiful.  I opened the back door and heard the shorebirds calling from the lake.  I was determined to take the camera out to the trails today.  It's been a long while since I've been out for a hike.  Cooking Lake - Blackfoot Recreation Area was the destination of choice.

The young leaves are finally beginning to break out.  The sun shone through them making them look like twinkle lights in the forest.  Beautiful.  The green up is taking longer this year.  In 2013 at this time, the leaves were out.

Waterfowl were swimming on all the ponds.  I watched the mallards and green winged teals.  A sandpiper ran along the shore of a slough. The creek that usually flows into Neon Lake is dammed up.  The beavers had been very busy.  A snowshoe hare rustled beneath the branches of some dogwood.  Chickadees and sparrows flitted from tree to tree.  The forest was a busy place this morning.

I put the hummingbird feeder out with the hope that those little beauties will be arriving soon.  Most of my bedding plants are potted and the lawn is greening up nicely.  The garden beds that I planted and covered with their 'greenhouse' covers are sprouting.  The mosquitoes have not shown up yet.  I can do without them.  

We could do with a nice spring rain that would give the plants and trees a little boost.  It would freshen things up and fill my empty barrels.