It Was Still Winter, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Even though a gale was blowing today, temperature was in the low 40's, I ventured out on foot anyway.  I did notice just the faintest suggestion of spring green visible in the grass.



The tide was near high and the wind was dancing on the water surface. The world here is definitely hinting at springtime.



Upon my return from the beach, I sat down to rest up and warm up. To my amazement, in a rare act, my local resident red-shouldered hawk swooped in and landed on a branch maybe ten feet above the bird feeders. Maybe he was looking for lunch - a squirrel or chipmunk or another bird but, in any case, I think his angle of view was such that he could not see me through the double-paned glass glare and reflection so I was able to capture this image with my trusty point and shoot camera.  What a treat! He has been very active this past week - flying around frequently and calling a lot - trying to attract a spring mate no doubt.

In classic New England weather behavior - soon after the hawk scene above, snow started falling driven by the 50-knot gusts of wind associated with a frontal passage. The wind blew all night and the temperature dropped to 10 degrees F by dawn. After all, it was still winter on the calendar...........