Spring brings ducks to our pond and hopefully... puppies to our whelping box

While I am waiting for Tuesday's puppies to be born (this is my second night of hovering over Tuesday's whelping box), finally I have a little bit of time to catch up with the blog.

Spring has finally arrived in the Helderbergs! We thought that it would never happen this year. Yesterday, on Thursday, was very warm, in the mid-60s, and even though a lot of ponds and small lakes in this area are still frozen, our pond is clear now. This year we have a chance to watch some migratory diving ducks, which have paid us a visit. Most likely they will be soon on their way north, but in the meantime we have been enjoying them.

The two pictures were taken three days ago, when we still had some ice on the pond. These are Ring-necked Ducks, and the small flock on our pond has three females and five males.

A week ago we had a nice visit from Walt Dixon, who brought Billy's son with him to run him in our fenced-in field.  Walt just got back from Cincinnati, OH, where he gave a presentation "Why in the World would I need a Blood Tracking Dog?" at the recent Biennial Gathering of the Professional Bowhunters Society.

Walt Dixon and John Jeanneney

Dachs is maturing nicely.

It seems that some rabbits survived our tough winter, and finally our dogs can get some runs on the snow-free ground. The two pictures below show Kunox von der Dohlmühle, who tomorrow is going to be nine months old. He is not a little puppy any more!

Kunox's best buddy is Mielikki, and my camera just loves her. Taking pictures of dogs is not easy, but Mielikki's engaging personality and her athleticism came through well in these two photographs.

Pictures to brighten your weekend

Too focused on photography?

I am not a good multitasker. For example, I can't read several books at the same time. Usually I have to focus on just few activities, otherwise I am miserable as I feel pulled in many directions. Also just like everybody else I suffer from a constant information overload.

These days my focus is on photography, and whenever I can I grab my camera and go for walk, usually with a dog or two. It seems that when I take pictures my brain by concentrating exclusively on just one task can reset itself. It gets rid off any extra junk and negative emotions.

I don't have to drive anywhere. We live in a beautiful place, and I never get tired of taking pictures just within my walking distance. It really is a very good therapy. These are the pictures taken in the last month, just few out of many. You can click on the picture to see enlargement.

Dachshunds and wildlife. Spring is finally here!

Spring is finally here! This week we are getting temperatures in the 40-50s, and quite a bit of rain. Ice is gone, the pond is clear, and there are only very few patches of snow left in the woods.

No more ice on the pond!

Whitetail yearlings made themselves visible serveral times throughout the day.

Quenotte will be ready to spread her wings this spring.

Joeri and Asko in our dog yard.

Tommy is excited about Mae coming here tomorrow for breeding. Right now dogs look really scruffy and need some serious grooming.

Paika needs to lose some weight and running rabbits will help her with it. She is getting ready for spring field trials.

Good to see that rabbits survived a challenging winter.

First day of spring in Berne, NY

Last year on March 20 we still had 8 inches of snow on the ground. Luckily yesterday, as we welcomed the first day of spring, the snow was mostly gone. Not entirely gone but probably 90 percent of the ground was bare. The temperature was 46F (8C), and the sky was blue. This was a wonderful day, perfect opportunity to unplug and enjoy the outdoors.

Our dog yard and kennels at the back of the barn.

We still have a small mountain of snow by the kennels. The snow piled up while it came down off the barn roof.  This is a northern exposure, and it takes a long time for the snow to melt.

 Joeri and Elli enjoyed strong sunshine while they stretched on the top of the old picnic table.

Billy took a snooze on the grass.

Male catkins of the pussy willow are out. I love them!

These fast growing stems of sumac looked spectacular against the sun.

But our pond looked still very cold and icy.

The forecast for tomorrow: Snow in the morning...then rain and sleet in the afternoon. Snow and sleet accumulation of 1 to 3 inches. Brisk with highs in the lower 40s. South winds 15 to 25 mph. Chance of precipitation near 100 percent. After all it is only March, and here in the NY Capital District Hilltowns we will still have some wintry days. But spring is going to come soon...