New Birds Keep On Coming!

It's a crazy time of the year when all the spring migrants start pouring in. There was a little rain and clouds this morning but it didn't slow the birds down! 

The top bird is an Orchard Oriole. There's not as many of these around as there are Baltimore Orioles in our area. A lot of people pass them off as being robins if they're not paying close attention. Orioles are in the same family as blackbirds where as American Robins are in the thrush family.

This is a Yellow Warbler. They are one of the most abundant warblers in the summer. I like them because they stay closer to the ground than some of the other warbler species.

 Looking up at all those treetop warblers can give you one heckuva stiff neck! Sandpipers like this Least Sandpiper allow you to look down and stretch your neck!

My First Rose-breasted Grosbeak Of The Year!

It was still early in the spring migration when I got my big boots on and started mucking my way through the swampy zone where the Great Blue Herons gather on their grounds.

As expected, there were plenty of Red-winged Blackbirds which are nice but that wasn't really what I was hoping to find.

I wasn't looking for Song Sparrows either but if one is going to perform an avian opera in front of me I might as well listen for a few minutes. 

There in the very top of a tall tree singing his heart out was what I was looking for. They sound a little like a robin singing but faster and more melodic sounding to me. My first Rose-breasted Grosbeak of the year!

Who Doesn't Love Owls?

Who doesn't love owls? Now that I think about it, probably rodents and other small animals! 

This is a male Great-horned Owl  probably doing security detail for a nearby nest.  I could imagine Clint Eastwood's voice coming out of his mouth-"Go ahead-make my day"