Lots of new bird arrivals - got to see my first trumpeter swans, double-crested cormorants, ruby-crowned kinglets, and brown-headed cowbirds of the season. There were plenty of other feathered friends as well, including song sparrows, eastern phoebes, northern flickers, cardinals, American goldfinches, killdeer, and wood ducks.
Trees are getting greener by the day, and the forest floor is coming to life. Bloodroots are starting to bloom, and all sorts of vegetation is beginning to sprout.
Some images from Sunday:
Gray squirrel finding snacks in the treetops
Bloodroots blooming on the forest floor
Trails getting greener
Trumpeter swans inspecting a possible nesting site
As you can see, it is a great time to be in Minnesota right now.
A quick food note - Saturday's dinner was pretty good; linguine carbonara with apple-cinnamon bacon.
Pasta with bacon and eggs - it's not just for breakfast anymore!
This was very loosely based on a Giada recipe where she worked with some pancetta dusted with cinnamon. I bought some wonderful apple-cinnamon bacon from Old World Meats when I drove through Duluth last week, so I used that instead. It is not a traditional carbonara in any sense of the word, but it was really delicious and quick to put together. The cinnamon adds an earthy and unexpected warmth and sweetness to the dish that was quite tasty. A simple dish, slightly exotic, and really good stuff.
Until next time,
Jean
