Look! A bird!

[Langue_doc]

Saw several species of ducks on today's walk. There were flocks of long-tailed ducks https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Long-tailed_Duck/id that would simultaneously dive and then surface. Other ducks were buffleheads, great scaups, scoters, red-breasted mergansers, hooded mergansers https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hooded_Merganser/, and assorted others that I don't recall at the moment.

There were also the usual bluejays, tufted titmice, white-breasted nuthatches, a junco, blackheaded chickadees, a grackle, a cardinal, mourning doves, robins (I think these were the first I've seen this year) and an entire flock of red-winged blackbirds. And of course, the usual gulls, this being a park along the shores.

The highlight was seeing a barred owl, which we were informed, tended to roost on one the trees in the area we were in. He (or should I say hu) was rather large for an owl. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/barred_owl

We also saw seals perched on rocks in the water, and much to my surprise, two solitary deer (this is a NYC park).

Half way during the walk, as predicted, it started to snow--it was just snow showers, and quite beautiful. Temperatures tomorrow are going to be in the mid forties.

[Langue_doc]

It's migration time so we're seeing birds either on their way further north or here for the summer. We saw a bittern standing in the same spot for over three hours on a recent bird walk, wood ducks, a pair of American black ducks in the same spot a few days ago, a Wilson's snipe huddling under a bush on the far shore of the same body of water on Saturday, an American woodcock in another area, an osprey flying with a goldfish in its mouth (there is a koi pond in this area), flickers that are coming in, and palm warblers aplenty. We recorded forty species on Saturday--this was a low number for this time of the year. The winds and high temperatures on the two previous days resulted in several species flying north.

Here are the descriptions:
bittern https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Bittern/overview
wood duck https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/wood_duck
American black duck https://ebird.org/species/ambduc
snipe https://ebird.org/species/wilsni1
woodcock https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Woodcock
palm warbler https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Palm_Warbler

[apl68]

I heard them singing everywhere on my morning walk.  We have a great crop of spring birds.

[AmLitHist]

I saw my first red wing blackbird out in the country by Kid's farmhouse last weekend.  That's the earliest I've ever seen one around here.

We have several pairs of cardinals and robins here in town, with lots of other birds as well.

I'll probably put out a hummingbird feeder, just so one is ready, this weekend/early next week.

[fleabite]

I saw my first robin of the season on Saturday—only one, although I'd been looking for robins throughout a long bike ride. However, tonight I went for a walk in a park in my neighborhood and the robins had arrived in full force. Spring has sprung!

[nebo113]

I saw my first red wing blackbird out in the country by Kid's farmhouse last weekend.  That's the earliest I've ever seen one around here.

We have several pairs of cardinals and robins here in town, with lots of other birds as well.

I'll probably put out a hummingbird feeder, just so one is ready, this weekend/early next week.

I put mine out and have had one hummer.  They may still be just passing through my area.

[cathwen]

On our walk today we saw a red-shouldered hawk and a green heron!  Two days ago, on the same trail, a sweet little ruby-crowned kinglet put on quite a show for us, hopping around in a bush at the edge of the trail, and stopping as if to pose for pictures.  And all the Usual Suspects were there, too: cardinals, red-winged blackbirds, chickadees, song sparrows, robins, crows (not sure whether American Crows or Fish Crows), grackles, white-throated sparrows.  I'm probably forgetting some.  We saw a gazillion turtles, too—I may post in the Fauna thread.

[Thursday's_Child]

A mockingbird was harassing a crow this morning, but - oddly enough - stopped when the crow landed & started collecting nesting material.

[Puget]

A mockingbird was harassing a crow this morning, but - oddly enough - stopped when the crow landed & started collecting nesting material.

Maybe it realized it wasn't a threat at that point? Mockingbirds are pretty smart.
There was one outside my window the other day doing a dead on impression of a car alarm-- it went through the whole cycle of car alarm sounds repeatedly. Much more endearing than the actual thing though!

[AmLitHist]

A mockingbird was harassing a crow this morning, but - oddly enough - stopped when the crow landed & started collecting nesting material.

Maybe it realized it wasn't a threat at that point? Mockingbirds are pretty smart.
There was one outside my window the other day doing a dead on impression of a car alarm-- it went through the whole cycle of car alarm sounds repeatedly. Much more endearing than the actual thing though!

I'd love to have a mockingbird again!  We haven't had any for a number of years.  I will pay postage if anyone cares to send me one.  :-)

[Langue_doc]

On the bird walk this morning we saw in addition to the usual cardinals, robins, bluejays, assorted sparrows, swans, geese, etc., a green heron perched on a log that was hanging over the water, a few ruddy ducks that were still here in the city, red-winged blackbirds, a couple of grackles, palm warblers, yellow-rumped warblers, downy woodpeckers, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, a hairy woodpecker, a blue-eyed vireo, and a leucistic robin (this is the best picture I could find). http://www.windowtowildlife.com/tag/leucistic-american-robin/

[apl68]

We've not had the flocks of geese passing over town this season like we normally do.  Is it due to permanent shifts in migration, or simply a result of conditions particular to this year?  We've had previous years when they didn't come over like usual, but were back the next year.

Anyway, I did spot a stray pair of wild geese taking off from the pond at the city park this morning.  They must have been heading out after pausing overnight.  Here's wishing them a good journey back north!  Or bon voyage, if they happen to be Canada geese from Quebec.

[apl68]

The wild geese have flown
Leaving behind the tame geese
Leading silly lives

[waterboy]

Nothing bugs me more that hearing "Canadian geese"...unless, of course, they actually are, you know, Canadian.

[FishProf]

Nothing bugs me more that hearing "Canadian geese"...unless, of course, they actually are, you know, Canadian.

They are worse.