Alarmed and Bossy

We went for a walk at a nearby park and the geese seemed to tolerate us, even as we were steps behind them. Though a few of them had feathers raised in alarm on the back of their long necks, the only aggression we saw was when one goose tried to boss around another one.

They thought we were following them...
but really they were just in our way.

Alarmed and Bossy! 

Happy Easter!

I made these bird rolls from scratch for our Easter lunch. They were a hit, soon to be a tradition.

A Robin's Evening Song

Cedar Waxwings

Two years ago today I happened to look out the kitchen window and watched as a flock of crested birds swooped into the yard and flitted between our birch tree and the neighbor's maple. They were cedar waxwings looking for berries together before mating season would pair them off.

"A flock of cedar waxwings on the neighbor's maple tree..." sounds a bit like the beginning of a poem.

I haven't seen one of their kind since.

Dedicated to Grandpa Bob, a bird lover himself. Happy Birthday, I love you and miss you!

Duluth Robins

Courtesy of my Dad:

I've never seen so many robins in my life, even in a season. They're out front under the crabapple tree. Some are up on the branches knocking the dried crabapples down, and the others are enjoying the works of the others. Out back, it's similar but a better variety of birds, mostly ground feeders. So I've been throwing out a cup of seeds every hour or so. Fun to watch, for sure. I'm used to seeing robins on warmer, moist days in spring, not with a snow cover. These hardy souls were definitely on the hunt for nutrition after almost two days of strong winds.

A Blackbird Consortium

There are at least 21 birds in this posse and they've been swarming the feeder all day long, moving as one organism as they descend on the yard or get spooked away by a passing vehicle. Most of them are grackles, with a few cowbirds throw in the mix, and about a half dozen red-winged blackbirds. All these different varieties of one type of bird.

Who says we can't all get along?

Nothing clever, just a cardinal

Springtime Birdservations!

A briefing on what the birds have been up to in my neighborhood:

• While on a walk we heard the chickadees with their two-note call. One bird called out and another answered, descending down the musical scale. As they continued with their individual rhythms, the notes were soon in tandem with each other to make perfect harmony.
• The goldfinches are gaining their summer plumage back so they look more as their name describes and not the buff color they were all winter. I saw one call out from a spindly sprig at the top of a pine tree, alerting all available females to his grandeur.
• A crow also took advantage of the highest point on the street and claimed himself to be king of the hill from atop a chimney.
• Every time I see geese my heart melts a little. Often in pairs on grassy areas, one picks away at the ground while the other watches for danger. 
• Two bluebird sightings in one week! It's so exciting to see rusty red and cerulean blue dart through the air.
• There is what I believe to be an egret living in the pond by the community center. They move so carefully, even their flight appears in slow-motion.
• Our backyard has been full of activity from the robins as they hunt worms and enjoy old berries still on the tree.
• Also in the backyard was a large bird I didn't see long enough to figure out what it was. It was bigger than a robin, was feeding on the ground, and when he took flight there appeared to be a bright yellow coloring under his wings. This would lead me to believe it was a flicker but I'm not certain.
• I've heard more red-winged blackbirds than I've seen.
• And finally, I've seen many birds of prey gliding overhead. Their cries reminded me of something you'd hear in an old western movie as  the sun bakes the desert landscape.