Another Wonderful Spring Day!

I would recommend that everyone plant Crocus bulbs in the fall, as it is so exhilarating to see their beautiful blooms at this time of year.  Presently we have three beautiful blossoms

and there is more to come as the snow continues to melt!

The first surprising sighting to see yesterday morning was an Osprey on top of an old nest high on a power line as we left the village.  Its timing is perfect as the river is now open.

 Our next stop was at Oromocto and we saw Cormorants in

 the river there as well as Canada Geese and Mallards ducks.

another surprise awaited us as we returned home!  Three or four Red-winged blackbirds in a birch tree in our yard!

Also at our feeders was

a male Brown-headed Cowbird and White-throated Sparrows

A beautiful Junco perched on a branch in the full late afternoon sun with a shed roof of our neighbours as a colourful; backdrop.

Later in the evening this nuisance Raccoon showed up to feed on dropped seeds under a feeder.

Finally spring!!!

The title to this post might seem strange to you as the calendar start of spring is long past: however the past few days have been wonderfully warm, the snow is melting fast and the ice is going out of the river.  Yesterday morning began with the sighting of two little migrant sparrow species at our feeder area!  How colourful and welcome they were!:  A Fox Sparrow and a White throated sparrow:

We also had two other sparrow species in our feeder area yesterday:  Song Sparrows and a lingering Tree Sparrow.  Other returning migrants to Bird Alley was a pair of Brown-headed Cowbirds.

 

Above, A Northern Flicker

 

During the morning I went for a drive as I most always do; looking around the countryside  for birds or animals.  I found many ducks and Canada Geese at Hoyt where the fields are starting to fill with large pools of water from the melting snow.  I found a wonderful, colourful surprise there: A Northern Flicker. Also in the Hoyt area there were many Tree Swallows busily hunting for insects above the watery fields.

Upon returning back home we found a black-masked, ring-tailed, furry, unwelcome critter hunting for seeds on the ground in our feeder area: A raccoon.

And although I had checked our garden area for new growth in the morning, I had failed to notice the 

beautiful purple beginning of a crocus which I had found last evening, I  eagerly await its beautiful unfolding later on today!

also there were lots of Daffodil sprouts , whose beautiful blooms I will anticipate sometime to be in bloom during the month of  May.
Yesterday was a most beautiful spring day and I anticipate today to be as equally wonderful.  Hopefully you are having somewhat an equally beautiful spring experience wherever you are.

Great Horned Owl

I feel just a little uncomfortable posting the picture of this great Horned Owl as this owl has been the center of a  lot of concern and controversy recently among members  of the birding population  .. The owl is nesting on an old Osprey nest and several members of the public have learned of her presence there and have been approaching its nest attempting to take its picture in flight as it is frightened off of its nest, thus temporarily leaving its eggs that it has been incubating, This action could  endanger the success of its nesting.. Yesterday we were in the area and hoped to see an Osprey and knew the location of several old nests.  (We did see one Osprey).  We were miles from where we assumed the nesting owl would be when we spotted an old Osprey nest that we knew of . We could see the old nest from the highway and as we drove past it, I saw a lump in the middle of it!  We backed up  our vehicle until we were more lined up to it from sitting in our truck on the highway. ( we hoped it was an Osprey on the middle of the nest.)  As I focused my 300 mm  camera lens on it, from  sitting in my truck seat with the window rolled down, I could see its ears and immediately knew it was an owl!! The owl remained on its nest while we viewed it through my camera lens without leaving our vehicle.Obviously it was  the nesting owl that we had been hearing about! I could also see many footprints leading into the nest area from the highway's shoulder. I am not good at judging distances  but it would be quite a little walk into the nest.

 NEVER  disturb a nesting bird( owl) !!  If you are in doubt as to your expected behaviour when encountering a nesting bird I have included here, a url which will take you to a website of the American Birding Association which explains  the Principles of Birding Ethics for you to use when birding:  http://www.aba.org/about/ethics.html

 Have a grand day everyone!  Happy  Birding!

A Drinking Deer for Saturday Critters

Earlier this week we had to go to Keswick, a yearly visit to our accountant. we always anticipate this trip, hoping that we will find a huge flock of Canada Geese there as we often do, but that was not to be this year.  Maybe next week when we make a return trip .... However we did find something special at Mactaquac.  Seeing a bit of open water in the distance I assumed we might find a duck there, which has been the case in the past.  Not a duck but a White-tailed Deer drinking at the edge of the water!  It looked rather precarious and we hoped that the deer had sure footing or that its weight did not break the ice at its edge causing it to fall into the water.  As we watched all went well as the deer continued to drink until it wandered off into the woods again.

Let's take a closer look at this beautiful animal!

And as it seemed to have had drunk its fill, the deer wandered off towards the woods.  All is well that ends well!

I am linking this morning to Irene's Saturday Critters at:
 http://viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca/
Have a nice weekend everyone: We are anticipating some warmer temperatures in my area over the next few days!

Canada Geese and Wood Duck

Early this morning I drove to my only open water area that I know of up to now, Hoping that I might see some ducks as I had a couple of days previous, my eager camera was rewarded with views of four Canada Geese and one male Wood Duck and one male Hooded Mergansers.  The Wood Duck and Merganser are both such handsome ducks !  I was so happy and surprised to see them there!.  I had planned on returning to the same location this afternoon, but I was detained, so a return visit is now scheduled for tomorrow morning.  Here are  few of today's treasure photo 

sightings:

 

And lastly, ( below) but not least, a handsome maleWood Duck:

 Tomorrow morning I shall post the photos of what I have found, and I am hoping it will be fresh photos of geese or ducks.