Day 9.044: When the snow retreats

This is a dangerous time of year. As the snow retreats:

it's all to easy to believe that it will then be gone for good and spring is coming. That might be true, or it might be a long way from the truth, only time will tell.

It's also a time when buried items emerge from under the snow that has blanketed the ground for weeks. This is not unusual. What is unusual is spotting something like this:

I did a double take, thinking it was a dead baby bird. Then I realised it was much weirder than that.