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Category Archives: birds

Always Birding

Whether dog walking, paddling my boat or sitting around camp, I enjoy watching and listening for birds. Sometimes they are only heard and not seen and I don’t always know the songs or calls but I keep trying to remember them. Maybe that’s a good thing for an aging brain?

From the tiniest Yellow Warbler to the fearsome Bald Eagle, they are all interesting. I am especially happy with the image of the Ring-necked Ducks. You can actually see the ring, if you look close, on the male. And the spotted goose is probably a leucistic Canada Goose. The Song Sparrow and the Yellow Warblers sang from morning til evening, but not quite as persistently as the American Robins. I frequently heard the Spotted Sandpipers call as they flew along the lake’s edge. They are fun to watch as they bob their tail up and down when they are searching for food.

Spring Things

A few things I’ve seen in recent days.

The snow melted in a hurry once it got started and now everything says Spring! Including today, the howling winds.

Some Little Birds, and One Big Bird

More winter birds hanging around our place. Pine Siskin. American Goldfinch. House Cassin’s Finch. Evening Grosbeak. Red-winged Blackbird. Bald Eagle. And my favorite of this group, White-breasted Nuthatch.

Another Raptor Visitor

This is a Red-tailed Hawk. Redtails, as they are commonly called, come in a variety of colors but most have similar patterns that ought to make them easy to identify. For beginning birders, they do present challenges. This bird is a light colored, first year bird. It was born last spring. The next time it molts (replaces its feathers) it will have a distinctive red tail which will make it easier to identify. Sometimes Redtails are very dark and the patterns are not always obvious. It is the most commonly seen hawk in our area.

An Unexpected Visitor

We often see Bald Eagles from our house flying by or perched on trees and snags down below the house or along the river. So when my friend from out of town noticed an eagle perched on a snag in the yard, at eye level from the dining room table, we just thought it was an immature Bald Eagle. We had about a minute to watch and I made a few photos through the not very clean, window with the closest camera I had before it flew. While examining the photos last night, I kept thinking, that is not a Bald Eagle. In fact, it’s a Golden Eagle! Ken saw it perched below the house later yesterday so maybe it’s sticking around. I’ll be watching every eagle more closely now!