I'm In No Hurry To See Warblers

-------------------------( Common Grackle)-----------------------------------------------------
Spring is one of my favorite seasons of the year, the other being fall. If I had one complaint about spring it would be that it goes by too quickly. There are only so many perfect spring days when the sun is shining and the temperature is in the 60- 70 degree range before spring turns into summer. This year, I'm not making the mistake of looking for those perfect spring days. It's spring right now and I plan on making the most of it.

One thing I've done in recent years is to look forward to the arrival of warblers. This year, I want to enjoy spring as it unfolds naturally without putting any specific emphasis on seeing warblers . There are plenty of other birds to see before the warblers get here. On Saturday, I spent several hours at a local swamp that was alive with the sound of birds actively searching for food and displaying.
Male Red-winged Blackbirds took position in high perches as they belted out their best conk-ra-lee calls while showing off their fancy red wing patches.

I watched as this grackle contemplated whether or not to take the plunge.

It couldn't resist taking a dip into the freshly melted water. This grackle returned to the same log and repeated this process three times.

There are still a lot of people I talk to that think robins don't arrive in Connecticut until spring. I see them all winter but it isn't until the ground is melted that they show up on people's lawns ready for a worm-picking picnic.

I led a local field trip on Saturday afternoon to areas along the Connecticut River in Portland. Here is the list for the day: Killdeer-(photo), Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackle, Song Sparrow, Ring-billed Gull, Belted kingfisher, Ring-necked Pheasant, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Great Blue Heron, nesting Bald Eagles, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Wilson's Snipe, American Crow, American Robin, Wood Duck, Red-tailed Hawk, Mallard, Canada Goose, European Starling, Blue Jay, Downy Woodpecker, Dark-eyed Junco, Ring-necked Duck, White-throated Sparrow, Great Cormorant, Black-capped Chickadee, House Sparrow, Peregrine Falcon, Northern Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Phoebe.

It was still a little chilly this weekend and the warblers have not arrived yet but spring is here. I'm not looking for perfect weather or the first warbler. I'm just looking forward to the next opportunity to be outdoors and to see what treasure nature has to show me next.