Northern Cardinal

In my never ending quest for a perfect shot of a male Cardinal, I captured these. This male is a frequent visitor to my feeders. He has a gray tone on his wings and tail and is not as vibrant looking as others I see.  He is still a handsome guy though!

Red-Winged Blackbird

This male red-winged blackbird was singing his heart out in the early morning  sun.  The males sings not only to mark his territory, but as part of his attempt to lure a female to the nest site he has chosen.  The Red-winged blackbird is the most abundant bird in North America and Illinois.

The Great Blue Herons have begun building their nests high in the trees.  Pictured is the male standing  watch at the nesting colony.  This particular cottonwood tree has six nests in it.  There were too many sticks to take a nice photo to share with you.

A male Downy Woodpecker posing for his portrait.  He was too special not to share.

Happy Spring!

Finally, spring has arrived! My favorite parts of spring are flowers, new birds arriving and a good thunderstorm. Nothing beats the fresh earthy smell after a good spring rain.

My bulbs are peeking through more and more each day. Everyday brings a new sign of renewal. I see the male goldfinch starting to get his bright yellow feathers back. I see new species of birds returning to the area with the promise of warmer temps and finding a spot to have this year's nestlings. Just feeling the sun's warmth is good!

A Sandhill Crane walking among the cattails.

A flock of Snow Geese heading north.

I recently read Snow Geese have taken over Canada Geese as Illinois' biggest population. They mainly stay in the southern part of the state. They are much more destructive than the Canada geese. Rather than just eating the tender shoots of a farmers plants, they will pull the whole thing from the ground.

A pair of Sandhill Cranes among the reeds.

A male Mallard duck showing off his beautiful colors.

Great Horned Owl

Check out the talons on this guy. Yikes! Imagine being a mouse and seeing those coming at you. You would not have a chance.

This handsome Great Horned Owl was spotted in a city park right in the center of town. We had seen him or her fly by on another walk in this park. There must be a nest nearby that it is staying in the area. This also must be a favorite tree to sit in as we found many owl pellets below it.

Changes

Even though snowflakes are still around, signs of spring are showing up.  I have been seeing the red-winged blackbirds for over a week.  Also today, I seen large flock of Grackles (oh joy my birdfeeders will soon be ravaged), a pair of chipmunks and a few Meadowlarks have returned.  It can't be much longer before the bulbs start peeking their heads through the dirt to show us some color in this drab landscaping. 

Below are some birds from a walk today.

A male Cardinal enjoying the sunshine.



A Song Sparrow.  They have one of the prettiest songs of all the sparrows.  Mockingbirds cannot even copy their wonderful song.



Female Cardinal searching among the dusting of snow for seed.

A golden-crowned kinglet.  This tiny bird spends it's winters in our area, then travels to north to Canada and Alaska for the breeding season.   I don't know if it is a male or female as they are so similar.  When they feel threatened, the yellow "crown" on their heads rises up in an orange crest.

Red-tailed Hawk soaring.