Spring arrivals

It's spring, and we enjoy an invasion of red-winged blackbirds.

 

 We see yellow headed blackbirds here and there through the spring and summer and some, but not many, Rusty Blackbirds.  

The Rusty Blackbird is listed as a vulnerable species with their numbers in decline. 

David spotted our visitor the other day poking about in a post winter pile of sticks and dry grasses that is my Lilac bush.  He (the rusty blackbird, not David) landed with a female on the roof of our re-purposed dog house just outside the kitchen window. 

There are lots of bright Purple Finches 

a few Pine Siskins,

and in much greater numbers is this little bird with the sweet song; we have a host of White-crowned Sparrows at our kitchen window feeders right now. 

And last but not least

we said hello to our First Hummingbird of the season  at the back door this afternoon and as I crane my neck to look around the corner I see him at the feeder this very moment.  It's a happy day.

Flickers on the bluebird trail

A Bluebird nesting box midway along the bluebird trail being visited by a couple of Flickers (Red Shafted Northern Flickers).  The Flickers appeared to be helping the bluebirds keep a house-hunting swallow at bay. . . 

That's my stab at the story.

 

"I realized that if I had to choose, I would rather have birds than airplanes." - Charles Lindbergh

The changeable exhilarating first days of Spring

As the snow leaves

The creek reappears

some Frosty mornings

 Mid day wanders

 Early evening skies

 Platoons of robins

 and solitary hunters

 Sudden storms of hail, snow and winds

 Red winged blackbirds tumbling about in stunning synchronicity

 

 

A very blue bird

 And our April flicker ~ right on schedule

 

 A glorious time of year.

Winter is becoming spring

 

Spring catkins are busting out all over...  

Here's a quick little video of a moment this past Saturday afternoon 

at the creek crossing where my daily walk about begins.

Serenaded by the red winged blackbirds.

 

 and some pics along the way.  Glorious sunny days.