Spring Birds Photo Gallery by snorkelady at pbase.com

Spring Birds

What a fabulous time of the year!!

We know spring is here when the early morning shrill calls of the red-winged blackbirds wake us up. Once they have rested from their travel, they start building nests for prospective mates that usually arrive ~ 2 weeks behind.

The eastern phoebes arrive in early April ( or late March, depending on the type of winter we've had) and usually occupy the same nest that was used the year before. Expect to hear the call "phoebe! phoebe!" until they start incubating ... then all is quiet.

The sounds of the ‘spring peepers’ are always so exciting. When approaching by car in the evening, the spring peepers give warning a couple of miles east of Dagobah. Later, while walking outside under black star-lit skies … we could hear the American Woodcock's "peent" "peent" call mixed with the spring peepers' call. We cherished these sounds and always look forward to spring.

Note: In the summer of 2019, we located the woodcock's nest on the property.

We have seen song sparrows, field sparrows, ring-necked ducks, pied-bill grebes, american widgeons, blue-winged teals, green-wing teals, northern shovelers, killdeer, eastern-wood pewees, great egrets, sandhill cranes, great blue herons, green herons, american and least bitterns, trumpeter swans, golden-crowned kinglets; yellow-throated vireos, black-and-white warblers, yellow-rumped warblers, american redstarts, baltimore orioles, orchid orioles, rose-breasted grosbeaks, eastern bluebirds, tree swallows, and many others ......

A video of the pair of yellow-throated vireos building their nest can be viewed at:

https://vimeo.com/278227479

The vireos have returned every year since 2012 and occupy an area in the trees to the west of the house.

There have been some changes since our arrival in 2006. We haven't seen the Common Gallinule in quite a while ... likely since the composition of the marsh has changed. As well, it seems that the Trumpeter Swans are no longer nesting close by. We still see them on the creek and often hear them calling at night.

:: Birds that have nested here ::	Orioles +++	An oriole's nest not strong enough to sustain a spring storm	Indigo Bunting
Cape May Warbler	Female wood duck using the nest box north of the viewing platform	Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Baltimore Orioles
Bald Eagles (a pair)	Eastern Bluebird using mealworms set out for him	Canada Geese on Earth Day	Red-headed Woodpecker drops by in the spring - visible from the kitchen window
Common Gallinule	Northern Flicker having a juicy meal - looks like prawns, but are grubs!	Song Sparrow makes its nest in the garden	Red-breasted Grosbeaks love oranges too!
Brown Thrasher has a wonderful song (link)	Catbird enjoying elderberries & grape jelly on the front porch	The Purple Finches nest in the area as well - expect at least 2 - 4 pairs	Trumpeter Swans
Canada Geese & Goslings	Cedar Waxwings	Eastern Kingbird nests along the laneway and in the first and second meadow	The families come to the house to clip & fertilize the lawn!
The Grey Catbird loves peanut butter suet	Female Northern Shoveller	Pair of Blue-winged Teals	House Wrens have their own homes but need to be discouraged from nesting in the bluebird houses
Great Egrets can be seen foraging in the marsh and flying north to roost near Shallow Lake in the evening	Kildeer - nest in the driveway	Kildeer - displaying broken wing behaviour	Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak (~5 pairs nest close to the house)
Rose-breasted Grosbeaks (Male & Female)	Ruffed Grouse high in the tree eating buds	A juvenile male downy woodpecker has such a tough time remaining upright on the clothesline	Chipping Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow drops by in the spring and autumn. It nests further north	Bank Swallow	Tree Swallows nest in the bird houses on the property	Oranges & "Welch's Grape Jelly is a hit
Virginia Rails can be heard at different locations throughout the property.	Female Wood Duck eating apple blossoms	Male Wood Duck eating Apple Blossoms	Canada Geese have their goslings in the marsh
Eastern Bluebird Eggs	The White-throated sparrow is most welcome as his song is quite beautiful.	Cedar Waxwings nest in the area near the house	Red-bellied Woodpecker
The Baltimore orioles arrive in early May and rely on oranges, hummingbird nectar and grape jelly	Eastern Bluebirds attacked by blowflies.	We set out a dish of live mealworms for the Eastern Bluebirds when they are feeding their young	We've had a few nests that had white eggs rather than the blue eggs that Eastern Bluebirds generally produce
Great Egrets enjoy fishing in the marsh	Soras are everywhere!	Virginia Rails nest very close to the driveway.	King Fisher fishing for fish & frogs
The Red-headed Woodpecker comes to the feeders on his way north to nest.	Juvenile Eastern Bluebirds	The lawn does not need pesticides when Northern Flickers are in the yard	Solitary Sandpiper stops by to refuel
Hooded Mergansers and their mating rituals	Yellow-rump warblers enjoy foraging for bugs on the pergola!	The American Redstart nests in the trees in the west side of the yard.	The Trumpeter Swans and their cygnets
Purple finch	Chipping sparrows nest on the property	The Red-winged Blackbird announces the arrival of spring!	The ring-necked duck arrives in large numbers.
The White-breasted Nuthatch prepares his nest	Hooded Merganser	Male Northern Shoveller	Great Crested Flycatcher
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds love to nest in the area.	Wild apples - incredibly tasty!!

click on thumbnails for full image