Seeking Ground That's Higher Or Drier

I planned on birding my local patch at Wangunk Meadows only to find that the Connecticut River had flooded over route 17 as it often does this time of the year. Since I didn't have a canoe handy I decided to check out some other areas in Portland.

 I found this beaver near the Portland Reservoir. Most beavers seem to enjoy a good flood.When he started slapping his tail I knew that it was time for me to move on.

 I like the way turtles line themselves up on logs like this. They don't produce their own heat so they need to soak up some sun from time to time.

 I saw a few Tree Swallows like this one as well as several Rough-winged Swallows near the drain pipes. 

I took a walk deeper into the forest and found a Hermit Thrush as well as this Eastern Towhee.

 .Mockingbirds seem like stubborn birds to me. Once they get their mind set that something is theirs, they don't want to give it up. I hope this bird doesn't feel the need to challenge a train!

Some of the birds I found this past weekend were Pine Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Palm Warblers, Barred Owl, and an American Kestrel. The Spring migration is just starting to get heated up!