New Arrivals!

White Throated Sparrow

What a lovely day! It was about 55 degrees and sunny this morning as I headed for the lower gardens. I could hear the "chiva chiva" of the titmice coming from the woods bordering the parking lot.

Palm Warbler

More garden plots are sprouting fences each time I arrive which is great. The first bird I saw was a song sparrow, but when I got my binoculars on it, I was totally wrong. It was a Savannah sparrow! It had the bright yellow eyebrow and the short tail. Later, I saw a whole flock of them in the meadow, combing the ground for goodies. The tree swallows were in abundance, some circling in the sky and some with their little blue and white faces peering out of their nest box holes, checking out the goings ons.

The color green is sprouting everywhere and fat, pink buds are ready to pop on all the crabapples. Such a beautiful time of year.

Bluebird Female

Daffies

In the upper gardens I spotted some bright yellow near the new compost bins. I knew it must be some kind of warbler, but who? Turned out to be two very bright palm warblers! I apologize for the poor quality of the photo, but what can you do… There were also some chippers searching for food on the ground right along with them. Then there was the bluebird couple. After what we've seen over the years, I don't want to be overly optimistic, but after watching them for a while, I think they've found suitable accommodations, while the tree swallows seem satisfied with theirs!

Lots of birds were out and about today up there - goldfinches, song sparrows, cardinals, some juncos, and chickadees. The bees are starting to come to, from their long winters nap. As I was about to head through the woods, I saw something that I thought would be a chickadee, but turned out to be a yellow rump! There were two that I could see - very bold and bright.

Down by the pond, the small colony of blood root is budding and the level of water is very low, not the usual. This time, there were two male mallards and no sign of the female. I hope she is sitting on a nest somewhere. Redwings and grackles were abundant.

I went to check on the phoebe nest. No bird sitting on it, but one parent was watching me from a nearby branch. Spotted a beautiful white throated sparrow, pictured above. And this Canadian goose was checking out the river view.