The Clear and Bright 清明

Fifteen days after the Vernal Equinox, we enter the time of the Clear and Bright. In Japanese, Seimei 清明 is an abbreviation of "pure and clear" 清浄明潔, and it means that all things at this time of year appear pure and lively in the spring sunlight. The sky is so blue. And flowers and trees are beginning to bloom everywhere.

On the TV news, people have been following the great wave of sakura blossoming across the country. Starting in the far south, cherry blossoms burst into bloom south to north. By this time, they have already begun to scatter in Tokyo. In addition to the sakura, according to Japanese changes to the calendar, this time of year is also known for the return of the swallows 玄鳥至 from climes far to the south, as well as the departure of geese 鴻雁北, which leave Honshu and fly north for summer.

This is also when people see rainbows 虹始見.

Dewdrop World Posts

Substack:

The Chinese Connection

A Walk on the Wild Side

Rainbows and Lightning

The Clear and Bright 清明

Moles Turn into Quail

3QD

A Walk on the Wild Side

Backyard Birding

Soundscape

Every morning starting around 4am the California Towhee starts chirping chirping very loudly–only to be outdone by a few lingering peacocks shrieks (by Easter their shrieking is mainly at night) with the Bewick's Wren chiming in beautifully. This trio is EXTREMELY loud waking us each morning around 4am.
From early mornings into the afternoons the entire neighborhood is vibrating with the rattling trilling of the Orange Crowned Warblers (I did manage to capture a sight in our backyard using callback)
We heard our first owl (April 2023) but only on one night. No more sign of it.
Bulbuls status quo
At feeders, there is is nonstop traffic: Junkos, House Sparrows, California Towhees, House Finches, and the occasional woodpecker. Squirrels, rats, and doves on pickup on ground. Hummers are the two usual suspects.
2023: White Crowned Sparrows at feeders, crows in yard.