Pre-spring birds of late (February 28-March 21)

Common Raven Corvus corax

February 28, NDG

-6 species in an hour.

-No woodpeckers or finches around.

-Two Common Ravens patrolling the high ground.

-Grey, -1 and tricky slicky black ice everywhere – I did ‘the dance’ a few times.

My NDG humblepatch. A place where I can collect my thoughts once a week, and watch the changing of the seasons in slow motion. I sometimes mumble a prayer to the birding gods for something rare to pass through, but I’m never disappointed when that doesn’t come to pass. In any case, spring in coming, I smelled it on the morning wind, something something.

March 1, Lasalle

-Ring-billed Gulls spotted in Lasalle.

'Artistic'

This sure as hell looked like a gull at first glance

March 7, NDG

-A balmy 0 degrees and rainy…jacket came back wet inside and out.

-4 species in an hour.

-Mushy.

March 9, Lasalle, Sunny and 15

-Male House Finch singing from atop an apple tree.

-Personal first of year Red-winged Blackbirds spotted, seeming to be in ‘stake out territories’ mode.

-A dozen Canada Geese flying east along the river.

March 11, NDG

-Common Starlings are everywhere in NDG, very much out and about.

-Ring-billed Gulls over NDG now.

Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus

March 14, NDG

-0 degrees…a landscape weighed down by 10cm of wet overnight snow (an ice storm came later in the week).

-8 species in an hour.

-A Merlin was heard screeching. Breeding time?

-Several Ring-billed Gulls overhead.

-Where have all the woodpeckers gone?

Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis

Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis

Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis

Pileated workings on one of three remaining tall pines

One of the four big pines in the area is down - last week's wind got it

March 21, NDG

-Technically, it is spring.

-Sun broke through clouds, 0 degrees.

-8ish species in an hour.

-Thought I heard a House Finch singing in the distance.

-Some evidence of Pileated Woodpeckers.

-I imagine Song Sparrows will be back next week, or the week after that. Groundhogs and Mourning Cloaks will also return soon, followed by Hermit Thrushes and Eastern Phoebes, then all the rest.