A Squirrel, Snow, Swans, Sandhills - and Lily.

      We are still not into full mobility and sociability levels due to COVID restrictions, so this post is an amalgam of odds and ends over the past week or so.

06 March 2021

     During the depths of winter, water left in the bird bath froze, and it was my practice to scatter a little cracked corn on it, so that the birds could get to it but it was out of reach of the rabbits that invade our yard nightly and hoover up everything on the ground.

     During a recent period of thaw, a circle of ice was floating in water and I pushed it off so that the birds could drink. Corn was embedded in the ice, and an enterprising squirrel was quick to discover it.

     Food in its own personal fridge!

     The upright model too.

07 March 2021

     We went for a short drive through the countryside looking for signs of spring, but these Mennonite ladies trudging through snowy fields reminded us that winter is not quite done with us yet.

     Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) are paired off now and anticipating the breeding season ahead.

     Horned Larks (Eremophila alpestris) are also getting ready for nuptial arrangements and the challenging task of raising young.

09 March 2021

A Visit to Long Point, ON

     This was a day marked by excellent birding, with no less than thirteen new species for the year, but photographic opportunities were generally absent. Most of the waterfowl was far out; we had wonderful views through our scope, but the distance to the birds precluded picture-taking.

     On the way down to Long Point, near Walsingham, ON, we came upon a small group of Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis), freshly returned from the south no doubt, and ready to begin work on the next generation. Several nesting boxes were waiting for them, doubtless cleaned out and ready for occupancy - no deposit required and residency is rent-free!

     Red-tailed Hawk was ubiquitous, as expected, but their familiarity makes them no less desirable.

     When we arrived at Port Rowan, there was open water offshore, but the shoreline was still locked in ice.

     There were so many Redheads (Ayhtya americana) that any attempt at a count ended in mere conjecture, but certainly there were thousands.

     A male House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) announced to others of his kind that he had already claimed this nest box.

     It was nothing short of uplifting to see a Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) putting his all into defending a territory and inveigling a female to join him there.

     Bird Studies Canada has been renamed simply Birds Canada, but its headquarters remain a beacon of inspiration for all who care for birds.

     Many Sandhill Cranes (Antigone canadensis) were migrating high over our heads, their haunting, spine-tingling call saturating the morning air, but we found only two individuals on the ground, well beyond photographic range unfortunately.

     The same situation was replicated with Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus); hundreds passed over us and landed on the bay, some as far as a kilometre away.

     The inability to take pictures did not detract one iota from the magnificent experience of witnessing  these birds "coming home." The serene beauty of flights of swans and cranes never fails to register awe, no matter how many times one has viewed the spectacle of migration.

     A Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) showed that it is also ready for spring and affairs of the heart!

     Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) is a species that seems to return to Ontario earlier each year; in fact a few have even been recorded on Christmas Bird Counts, indicating that small numbers may remain here throughout the winter.

     It is a bird that one sees most frequently in the air, circling in search of carrion, so an individual obligingly perched is a bonus.

     Turkey Vultures roost in trees overnight and are equipped with the conventional anisodactyl foot configuration of perching birds (three toes forward, one back).

     It has been said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I will leave it your judgement whether this bird is beautiful.

     Once airborne it is a study in grace and symmetry; here it flexes its wings in preparation for launch!

     By now, I am quite certain, you have decided that it is indeed beautiful, so I will let a few extra portraits speak for themselves.

     You have Miriam's permission to enlarge and frame any of these images for placement at your dining room table. Be sure to send pictures.

     Just before stopping for lunch a few Tundra Swans were close enough to get at least an acceptable shot.

     Eastern Chipmunks (Tamias striatus) have emerged from hibernation and were busily scurrying hither and yon, chattering noisily to all who cared to listen, and even those who didn't.

     American Tree Sparrows (Spizelloides arborea) have kept us company all winter, and will soon be departing for their breeding grounds amid the dwarf birches and willows of the Arctic tundra.

     On our way along the causeway as we made our way home, we stopped at a couple of vantage points to scan the water, and discovered huge rafts of Canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria).

     Following a tranquil winter, undisturbed by mobs of summer vacationers and day trippers, Long Point is slowly awakening from its winter repose.

     No doubt business owners are hoping that they will be able to open up and make a little money following the pecuniary evisceration brought about by COVID lockdowns.

     We wish them well, but to tell the truth, the lack of crowds has been wonderful. I am quite certain that the birds agree.

Lily

     This precious little girl gets livelier, more aware, and without a doubt more beautiful each day. No further words are needed; feel free to make your own captions!

     "See you all again soon," says Lily.