One of a small flock of robins out enjoying the sun after a mostly grey February. Not a sign of spring, as the robins we see around the region right now are all overwintering birds. But it won't be long before red-winged blackbirds and other migrants begin to appear, including robins heading here from the south.

This little woodpecker was hanging out with the male in the previous photo. If you see them side by side with the much larger but otherwise very similar hairy woodpecker, one of the things you notice is how tiny the bill of this species is, compared that of the hairy woodpecker.

This is the second red squirrel I saw at the garden (out of about 5). Unlike the others who were either eating or chattering away about something, this one was, like the grey squirrel in the next photo, seemingly soaking up the sun which has been rare this winter.

These don't obscure the view and looking out the window, you hardly notice these decals, but birds see them differently from us and it warns them they cannot fly through the windows. The secret is that the decals reflect ultraviolet sunlight making these look, to a bird's eye, as if lit up!

Lots of evidence of eastern cottontail rabbits at the garden, at least in a couple of locations. Here, the scat and the chewed branches are a giveaway of prolonged feeding at this one site.

The mild temperatures of about +4 or +6, together with bright sun, made it feel spring-like. People seeing robins could understandably believe that they are fresh harbingers of spring. But in fact, we have a long way to go to spring, and these robins are part of a bigger flock that has overwintered at the FWG and the Central Experimental Farm. In fact, robins have been present all winter in any number of locations across Ottawa.