Lots of spring birds arrived this week. We saw our first Red-winged Blackbirds – our morning walks through the wetland were full of blackbird songs.
Several bluebirds arrived and were checking out the next boxes and hunting for bugs in the spaces between the snowdrifts. There were at least 3 woodcocks doing their “dance” at dusk. And the juncos have started singing.

The birdsong is getting louder in the mornings. Mike was thinking about podcasting the whole weekend, so he was listening to all these sounds and thinking about how to record them.

Mike heard a Saw-whet Owl calling loudly in the middle of the night right outside our window. We were hoping it had returned to the nest box where we found one last year, but I checked and the box was empty.

I saw a Rough-legged Hawk from the top of the ridge. I got a photo – not a good one, but not bad considering that it suddenly flew right over me and I just pointed the camera up and took the picture.

While I was up on Sumac Prairie I watched some crows harassing a Golden Eagle below me over the wetland. There were several more Golden Eagles sailing over the bluffs.

I saw a flock of Tundra Swans and a flock of Sandhill Cranes fly over. And the Wild Turkeys were gobbling loudly in the woods.

I finally got a picture of a Northern Shrike – maybe the same one that has been hanging out for a few weeks in the wetland. It was very cooperative – perching in the tops of the willows, and once diving after some prey.