For the first time in a long time, we were able to look for birds overhead without worrying about ice under our feet. While the crows have been around all winter, the Grackles reappeared in May with their fascinating sheen that looks purple and green in the right light.
I had my closest look yet at a Red-tailed Hawk sitting on a mound of dirt several metres from the road. Another bird of prey, the Osprey seem to be everywhere this spring, where last year I had only a glimpse of one on top of a sign post over the highway. They seem to like to make their nests on top of manmade structures like that rather than concealing their nests in trees. It makes them easier to photograph, although the surroundings can be a little bleak.
This month, there are photos of waterfowl that I haven’t managed to get before, or at least better ones than I had. The Double-crested Cormorant and the Red-necked Grebe are the best images so far, and I believe the Gadwall is a new one for my list. The Ring-billed Gull isn’t new, of course, but it’s nice to see one so clearly. The different gulls look so similar to me that I still struggle to tell them apart .
Similarly, sparrows completely defeat me. Well, almost completely, the Savannah I am clear about. The others I need someone to identify for me.
The Grey Catbird is actually quite a nice, if drab coloured little bird. This is a new sighting for me, although I have heard members of the birding group pointing them out to each other. This is one of those birds that imitates other sounds. One of its sounds is purported to sound like a cat meowing. It doesn’t sound like a very convincing cat to me, although given my wide range of feline friends, I may be a bit of a snob in that respect.
The only mammals this month were this mother moose and her calf. Her coat doesn’t look very good in this picture but the light was coming from behind them so it is hard to say for sure whether that really was the coat or just the light.
