Birdies, birdies, everywhere

They have been amazing.

The house wren is still working on things. They circle around the nesting box, proclaiming territory from the lilac bush that is nearly ready to blossom.

We have phoebe, whose eggs hatched Tuesday: 🐣Phoebe.

great crested flycatcher

I was looking out a window, and spotted this bird.

Great Crested flycatcher

Wood duck box #1 is cleared out (May 27th – jump for freedom). Box #2 should hatch today, leaving tomorrow. Wood duck box #3 ducklings leave today. (More on that later!)
Here is box #3 yesterday. Once momma flushed from the nest, our morning ritual, I cleared out.
duck eggs from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The hummingbirds continue to visit the feeder and the flowers.

The female merganser: as I approached the frog pond, she was circling.

Merganser from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The flicker is attending to business in her nest. I have no idea her stage of nesting. Read more here:

• 🐦FLICKERS

Flicker from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We have two female turkeys wandering around during the day. They eat bugs, bless their hearts!

Turkey basting: that's what I called it. She rolled around in the dirt, kicking up soil, having a blast.
They do this, says Standford U, to maintain the oil in the feathers. (Bathing and Dusting: "Excess plumage lipids, including preen oil, are absorbed by the dust and expelled along with dry skin and other debris.")

Turkey basting from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Day Trip Sat., Apr. 7th => Desert Lake Rd. part 2

The land still hasn't awakened for Spring. We took off for a drive. This is part 2.

(Day Trip Sat., Apr. 7th Perth => Canoe Lake Rd. part 1)
The lakes are slowly melting, the rivers are flowing. It is a beautiful to see the deep, dark blue of the water. Soon, we landed in Hartington, and met some birds. Finally! I include the map, as we may want to find this place again. 

Don't laugh, but we've been looking for the spot where we found river otters several years ago for several years. 

This is where it got interesting...
There were male and female mergansers, bufflehead, and another species, which I didn't recognize.

Ducks from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We used to have these on our lakefront, when we lived in Bala (2006 – 2010). Mergansers and Goldeye, Buffleheads, all cold water ducks that visit in early spring, on their way to the far north to breed.

What a week of weather!

Geraldine was awake Monday
Asleep on Tuesday!

Monday, it was 26 C. in our yard. Geraldine bullfrog had woken up.
 Tuesday it was ice pellets. Geraldine has gone back to bed.
The crocus were being hammered with the ice, which was bouncing on the deck yesterday. We took a drive on Sunday. It was cloudy. I spotted a pair of mergansers in the river. I hope they stay warm today, as it is -5C. and pretty frigid. The crocus have bent over in pain.

How many bird butts have you photographed?
I have my fair share!

Shy Mergansers

Camera Critters: birds and ice, down memory lane

I love the changing seasons. These photos show the ice going out, with the wonderful birds returned for spring. The first are the mergansers.  The Canada Geese were never far behind.

Life on a Muskoka shoreline! (May, 2010)

CC# 259

 I told many stories about Eddie and Eva (e.g., SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2009 "It's your fault", a story about a snowy day!) This was a pair who returned all four years we lived there year-round. (April 2006 - September 2010). They returned with offspring and had happy times.


 But seeing them each spring, mostly before the ice had gone fully, was exciting. You knew that spring was fully on its way!

Eddie stretches his wings
Longtime readers will remember
Eddie, Eva, and the battle of lonesome Charlie!

Eddie & Eva on the ice in front of our home

Rain, snow, sleet or hail, this was a rainy day

Spring sights

These are just some spring photos. Now that it is officially the spring equinox, we can enjoy the melt.

Did the mergansers, early harbingers of spring, read the signage?! The mergansers like the cold water. They are usually the first ducks back to Ontario.

Pigeon eyes me suspiciously.
They stay all winter.

Stream melt

pop of green shoots

dirty snow and walkies

Bala Falls

Moon River, Bala