Even though there were snowflakes in the morning, by afternoon more spring birds made their appearance again, like this Yellow-rumped Warbler, who is a versatile forager from catch flying insects to eating berries.
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Picture of the Day for April 25, 2023
Another bird has arrived but the Brown Thrasher wasn’t singing this morning, probably since it is still way below average and the trees are not budded out as far as when I took this picture during a warmer spring. If he was singing, his song includes imitations of other birds and over a thousand of different song types.
Brown Thrasher Not Singing
Picture of the Day for April 24, 2023
The Northern Flickers have ventured north again and they prefers to find their food on the ground, especially ants and they use their long barbed tongue to eat them.
Northern Flickers Return
Picture of the Day for April 19, 2023
With snowflakes flying most every day, spring is slow coming and the spring birds are probably wondering why they came back so soon. But at least this sparrow didn’t have the trouble like the loons that dropped from the sky after getting coated with ice and they are unable to fly if the loons didn’t fall in water as they need big stretches of water to take flight again.
Sparrow in Snow
Picture of the Day for March 27, 2023
I’m not sure where the trumpeter swans went to when they passed over head earlier this month heading north as my pond is still frozen, but hopefully they found some open water. The trumpeter swans are our biggest native waterfowl, weighing more than 25 pounds and a wing scan of over 6 feet. My pond is too little for these swans as they need 100-yard runway to get airborne.
Trumpeter Swan
Picture of the Day for March 24, 2023
With a narrow strip of ground showing aside the driveway where the snow was plowed off, the returning robins finally have a place to land that isn’t cold from that white stuff. And hopefully no more snow will cover the tiny patch of lawn.
Robin Returns
Picture of the Day for March 23, 2023
With all the snow on the ground, it is hard to remember that it is spring – at least according to the calendar – but another sign that spring may be coming was the return of the red-winged blackbirds as they voiced their arrival rather noisily today as they perched high in the trees (to stay far away from the snow).
Red-winged Returns
Picture of the Day for March 22, 2023
I saw a pheasant this morning that probably wished the snow was gone and he was wading through grass instead of that white stuff. I shouldn’t have chuckled when I saw his foot sinking deep into the snow every few steps, as I was breaking through the crusty snow later in the day too and it wasn’t fun jarring the body when my leg dropped a foot into the snow.
Pheasant Wants Green
Picture of the Day for March 16, 2023
Yesterday I saw some trumpeter swans flying overhead, and maybe with the melting, there might have been some puddles of water but not enough for them to land and swim around in yet so I don’t know where they were headed to.
Trumpeter Swans Return
Picture of the Day for March 13, 2023
Yesterday when I was raking snow off my roof, I heard and saw a sandhill crane headed north. It should have been headed back south as there is no bare ground at my place and my pond is still frozen. The crane might have been reading a calendar since seven years ago, they came back to this scene where there was no snow remaining. Otherwise, the female crane might have sent the male (as they mate for life) ahead to find the perfect nesting spot before the spring rush, but locating a good spot under two feet of snow might be tough.
Crane Back Early
