Birds Don't Care If Ponds Look Pretty

Whenever I stop at the gas station or store I look at the old factor pond across the road. The water is not pretty there. It looks brown and dirty. I wouldn't swim in it and I certainly wouldn't drink it. 

Birds, on the other hand, don't care about all that. I've seen many cool birds near the dingy little pond.

Birds don't judge their habitat by how pretty it looks so neither should we. We can let the birds themselves provide the beauty!

Don't Forget The Local Birds!

I went to the reservoir waiting for that great warbler fallout. It was a beautiful morning but a Yellow-rumped Warbler was the only new  find for me. The larger warbler crowd has not yet arrived.

So I looked around and found a Red-winged Blackbird proudly bellowing his croaky song from the top of a branch. I kind of took these birds for granted this year and never managed to capture this classic pose that reminds us that Spring is in full swing.

I traveled down the road a bit to check the tangled woods across from the Helen Carlson Bog. One more species for the year here-Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. They were too tiny and too high to capture a photo.

Down on the ground was the year-round resident that is a common visitor to many back yards, the White-breasted Nuthatch. I don't usually put much effort into taking a picture of one of these guys but this one seemed to beg for attention so here he is! 

We're lucky to still have birds to see as we wait for the warblers patiently!  

 

Magic Of The Setting Of The Sighting

 

The level of enjoyment when it comes to birdwatching can be affected by many factors. Rarity of the bird, lighting, and weather conditions in which you are doing you're viewing are a few examples. 

Another factor is the setting in which you encounter a particular bird. I see Great Egrets frequently when I visit the shoreline in warmer months.I don't, however, see them often at our local fairgrounds which is a long way inland from the shore!Also commonly seen at the shore are Osprey nesting on one of the numerous man-made platforms. It's nice to see but so commonplace these days that I can't say it makes me slam on the brakes to get a look.

When I saw this Osprey perched on a branch overlooking the Connecticut River, I immediately pulled off the road to get a closer look. 

Here is the same species of bird in a different setting. It was all by itself on a well-lit branch with no man-made platform around and far from the shoreline. I found this particular sighting to be stunning!

Another example is the conditions under which I viewed these deer. I always enjoy seeing a deer but hiking through the woods in foggy conditions and encountering deer during a nature walk adds to the ambience.

The setting of the sighting can make all the difference with your viewing experience!

2 Egrets For The Price Of 1!

I took a ride down to Clinton this morning hoping to see my first egret of the year. There are 2 types of egrets that are seen regularly along the shoreline once spring arrives, the Snowy Egret and the Great Egret.

I was lucky enough to find both of them together on my first attempt! The larger of the two on the left with the orange bill is the Great Egret and the smaller one with the thinner black bill is the Snowy Egret. A great way to celebrate Easter morning!