I always find it fascinating
when nature does things that we cannot manipulate in any way and that remind us of how magnificent and powerful she is. And the amount of awe it inspires is not related to the size of the event or object. The upcoming solar eclipse is just as amazing as the summer molt of the Goldfinches. The weather is fine, the migratory birds are on their way, and yesterday I did some actual garden work. Yay, spring! Happy Sunday!
(On a sidenote - Squarespace has somehow updated their website, and I am seeing that my website now looks different. I am working on getting everything back to comfy.)
I have been impatiently waiting,
but this morning, a lovely surprise happened - the first Hummingbird arrived, along with some more snow. The forecast for the rest of the week looks good, so I hope I can help this little trooper to make it.
Happy April Fool’s Day ;)
This year, there seems to be
an abundance of Cardinals in my yard, something that I am not complaining about at all! From afar they all kind of look alike but up close, their individuality becomes more obvious. I believe these are all different birds. So similar but also so different.
Birds are wonderful
photo subjects for all kinds of reasons, but there are some with which I am always hoping for certain things to happen and capture. Right now, the Redwinged Blackbirds are in perfect constant near-explode mode, which results in the most hilarious but also most gorgeous photos.
My favorite season,
spring, has finally arrived. On the calendar, at least, because we are currently experiencing a fun mix of wind, snow and sunshine. I know it is all part of the seasonal adjustment, and just knowing that there will probably not be another week-long deep frost makes my heart sing. The birds are staying close to food and water, and yesterday, this beauty’s hair was tussled in the breeze. I think the groundhog went back for some more napping though.
For weeks now,
the Goldfinches have looked like their change to the vibrant yellow summer feathers was about to start, but now, the really adventurous looks are popping up more and more. I thought the first one looked very interesting because he has a lot of features of a Common Redpoll.
It was very nice
in the last two days, today, I didnt even wear socks for quick runs outside. The Cardinals are singing up a storm, the Groundhog made a first showing, the Juncos begin to leave, and I have planted some tomato and okra seeds (inside still). I am also keeping an eye on migration forecasts, and things look very promising for the coming weeks. Here are two handsome male current regulars, showing all their colors to improve mating chances.
Do you have special songs,
smells or sounds that instantly transport you to a time or place? These guys do that for me. Once I am hearing them, I know spring is on the way. Male Redwinged Blackbirds usually appear first, along with Grackles, but yesterday, I also saw the first females, as well as some Cowbirds. So despite the snow this morning, spring is really unfolding!
Happy Women's Day
to all the wonderful ladies out there! I don’t know what the world would be like without women, and I am happy to be one myself. The weather is murky today, but here are some Robin photos to brighten the mood. Female Robins have a lighter head cap, more grey than black, whereas the males darker head colors are black. I think this one here is a male. The Robins have steadily started to reclaim their territory here, and it is awesome to hear their song echo across the yard in the evenings and mornings. Have a lovely day and weekend!
Isn't it so funny
how certain sounds make you feel in a certain way? Stepping outside right now does that, the Grackles and Redwinged Blackbirds are putting it all out there, and it makes me feel like spring. And when the landscape is barren, what better is there to look at the glorious, gorgeous Grackles? There are the blue variety as well as the purple one. Returners are Count Jr. with the white spot as well as “Kermit” with the odd eye. I hope you all had a wonderful World Wildlife Day!
This morning,
it really felt like spring outside. The Cardinals and House Finches were singing, the snarls of the Grackles and Redwinged Blackbirds filled the air, and it was so warm that I did not have to wear a coat. Variety and activity is still down but I am enjoying these sure signs of spring. I also serviced the nestbox the Chickadees used last year, it needed a new roof and some other repairs. The BB house is next. And here are some visitors. Wonderfully enough, the Grackle with the white dot on the neck has returned!
I guess it is time,
spring is really underway. In the last two days, several Grackles and Redwinged Blackbirds have stopped by. They may be a week early but otherwise are very timely for this time of the year. I am very happy to see something other than Mourning Doves and Goldfinches at the feeder, and I feel like I have to adjust my cam settings a bit to accommodate the larger birds. Here’s to a happy weekend!
The sun was out today,
and the birds seemingly posed with proudly-swelled chests. It is still cold and gets below zero at night but the days are undeniably getting longer, and spring is starting to fill the air with bird song. Now that the darkest time of winter is over, I am pretty much ready for spring to begin, the summer birds to arrive and getting my hands dirty in the garden again.
The last week
was so mild, one day I even had the windows open all day. Spring was in the air. Now we have more snow in the forecast, but it feels like everybody is getting ready for the next season anyways. These two here are definitely give that impression. The first thing I heard when I stepped outside this morning was the wonderful PETERPETERPETER of a Titmouse. And a Chickadee has been busy checking out the nestboxes all week too.
Regardless of that, bird activity remains low, so I am using this time to pack my work schedule. Migration may be already underway and busy times are upon us soon.
The sun was out today,
and the Red-bellied Woodpeckers were very frequent visitors at the food bowls. There are several individuals around but especially this male always sticks out because of the “line” on his forehead (he is in the second and third photo). The female is a beauty as well with her big blue-grey forehead. I love that these guys are hanging around, especially since I do not put suet out (I don’t like how bonkers the Starlings get over it and the woodpeckers always came regardless).
I don't believe
that we will get an early spring but signs of it have begun to emerge. It is not just the Starlings that have started to change their plumage, the Goldfinches show specks of more vibrant yellow as well, turning into their breeding colors. They are the most plentiful right now, along with House Finches (the sun came out yesterday!), Pine Siskins, Juncos and MoDos.
The snow has thawed
and since things have slowed down again a bit, I decided to take the chance for a little feeder break to make the Starlings move on. Here are some of the last photos from snow day. The two Cardis are different individuals. The first one still has some orange spots, so I think he is a young male from last summer. The other one looks more mature, also note the slightly broken beak (which I hear grows back). The other two are a Mourning Dove and a Starling that is seemingly already far into the transition to breeding plumage.
Yesterday has been
a rather mild day. The snow started to melt, leaving a sludgy mess on the ground. This was great for bird photography because some of the ones who like feeding on the ground came up to the photo setup. And the prettiest of them all was this gorgeous Cardinal lady. Her hair game is top notch!
It is always nice
to get a little recognition, and this time around, it happens across the pond in the UK. The Daily Star, the Daily Telegraph and The Times have published one of the angry ones today.
The tiny ones
are very animated and adorable right now. Juncos and Goldfinches are a bit feisty with one another, resulting in lots of blurry photos when the SD card cannot compete with tempo and cold.
