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Monday, April 18, 2011

Sandpipers and Sapsuckers….

The unseasonably cool weather continues…

Weird weather continues

we are making some progress as we are getting sunny periods between the rain/sleet/hail showers….

Red Breasted Sapsucker

Despite it all spring continues to make progress…just after catching a brief glimpse of that Common Yellowthroat, and then watching a male Rufous Hummingbird chase a Ruby Crowned Kinglet, spotted this bit of red…one of a pair of Red-breasted Sapsuckers that have been seen pretty much daily…

log bay

over at the log bay I had been just about to take a picture of two Greater Yellowlegs Sandpipers that were right in close to shore…when a dog, one of 3 loose ones came splashing across the water…so of course the Sandpipers took off…crying their alarm cry.  This is a protected area – the park is clearly marked ‘Dogs on leash at all times’ so why do people insist on disobeying!

Yellowlegs

Once the dogs and their owner moved on the Greater Yellowlegs reappeared, although not venturing in as close as they had been…today there were 3 of them.

Back of Goldfinch

a few American Goldfinch showed up as well…managed a picture of the back of one of them…notice the progression of the ‘leafing out’ as well.

Red breasted Sapsucker

as we were heading back…one of the Red-breasted Sapsuckers flew into the cedar grove…  I think this is the pair that nested up in some old Alders last year.  This year that nesting site has been expropriated by a pair of European Starlings…so the Sapsuckers are checking all of the cedar groves for a suitable site.

Robin

Robins, of course, continue to be much in evidence…there were quite a few Varied Thrush about today too.  I’m not sure how many Robins are in the general vicinity, but some in depth work is being done on a section of lawn at the complex I live in, and over 100 robins were enjoying that!

Goldfinch on Hardhack

We spent some time at the viewing platform, just watching…the Black Capped Chickadee were going back and forth to the nest site, there were lots of Ruby Crowned Kinglets around….this American Goldfinch was enjoying some Hardhack seeds.  I’ve mentioned before how important the seeds of this native shrub are to the birds.

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