A taste of Spring
This past Thursday and Friday I spent many, many hours outside - no face masks required! What a treat to dress for just above freezing temps and head out. Thursday morning I went back over to Honey Pot. We had had a dusting of snow during the night so everything had a beautiful thin coat of snow on it. I was hoping to see the short-eared owl which is still being reported - but no luck again. But I did have luck with something else that I had also been hoping to see… Well before sunrise I was standing up alongside the CT river scanning the field behind me… when out of some scraggly weeds this beautiful female Northern Harrier flew out and was immediately on the hunt! They hunt low to the ground while gliding over fields and marshes looking for rodents- they are so beautiful in flight.
She then decided it was time to head over to the other side of the river and out of my view.
As I was making my way very slowly back to the car a “lump” in the field caught my eye… either the Northern Harrier that had flown out over the river or another one had appeared and was now sitting in the field!
Then movement from above caught my eye - a crow or raven was coming in full speed towards the Harrier!
Now that you can see the size difference between the two - do you think it is a crow or a raven?
This Harrier clearly has the upper hand - not bothered at all!
And now heading away… and it was time for me to head home.
Later that same day I went to Silvio after 5pm and did my usual loop - which was finally free of thick ice - that alone made the trip over there worth it. After the loop - which was very quiet - I decided to head over to the area where there are cattails near a tiny pond. I was hoping that the red-winged blackbirds would appear- they are such a welcome sign of Spring to see and hear. The lighting was getting better and better as it was now about 30 minutes before sunset. As I rounded a corner I could hear one behind me… so I slowly turned 180 degrees looking directly into the sun to see this… a red-winged blackbird perfectly perched on a cattail…
Now with my back to the sun, I made my way slowly and quietly over to the corner of the pond for a better angle to this magical late day Spring lighting…
And now the final shot of the day…
Friday morning I decided to go to Bullitt - I could not believe my first sighting of the day - a Golden-Crowned Kinglet!
As soon as the kinglet flew off this adorable chickadee landed just to my right -
A little further to my right…talk about bright breeding plumage -
I could hear bluebirds to my left so I wandered over to that post that I always spend time scoping out - a favorite of the bluebirds. Sure enough - this gorgeous female was checking things out.
The male then flew in - these blues just don’t seem real…
A beautiful Junco -
You know who…
The last shot of the morning as it was time to head out…