The return of red-winged blackbirds tells us that it's almost spring. On a recent walk in the woods at Kensington Metropark, we saw a few of these harbingers, showing their spring plumage. Hearing their song really signals that spring is coming, even though it is cold and snow is still on the ground.
Quite a few other birds were flying around, landing in the trees, and hopping through the bushes as we walked. Some were eating seeds from the hands of other visitors to the park. For many years, near the Kensington MetroPark Nature Center, people have been feeding the birds. The birds that are the biggest beggars are the titmice, the chickadees, and a few other small songbirds. The seeds also attract other species.
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Doves pick up the seeds that have dropped when people
were hand-feeding the other birds. |
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| These doves seem to be feeling the cold! |
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| Red-tailed hawk. |
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| White-breasted nuthatch. |
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| Downy woodpecker. |
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| Red-bellied woodpecker. |
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A number of sandhill cranes now live in the park year-around,
and are rather tame. They too are in breeding plumage. |
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| Warning signs in the park say you should not feed the cranes. |
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| The reeds are still very dry and wintery. |
Blog post © 2022 mae sander. Photos by Len Sander.
16 comments:
Wonderful variety of birds and photos. I love the Sandhill Cranes and the woodpeckers. Take care, enjoy your day!
What lovely photos of the birds! Spring is definitely here now as I get to have coffee by the window and watch nest buildings.
Yay, Red-wings! I'll have to keep an eye out -- that's a promising sign. And your shots of the Sandhills -- exquisite. Really stunning.
I don't get to see any of these birds in my area. The only time I've seen Sand Hill cranes I was in Nebraska and they were working their way south. There were THOUSANDS of them.
The puffed one, ohhhh poor bird! The woodpecker is very cute, too. To spring - here I can hear the birds sing already.
I've seen red-winged blackbirds, but we don't tend to get them here in the city. Mourning doves and red-tailed hawks are common, and those 2 woodpeckers come to our feeders. You got great photos!
Last week we had really cold weather and snow. This week? Well, it was 70 degrees yesterday! I'm not a birder, but I enjoy looking at birds. Fun pictures -- thanks.
Great photos. I have seen a few red winged blackbirds when we were campimg but none at home yet. We are currently besieged by goldfinches eating everything quickly from the feeders.
Nice selection of late winter/early spring birds! The sandhill looks like he's complaining about the still chilly weather.
Hello Mae,
I have not seen a Redwing Blackbird yet, but I heard they have returned. I love their sounds. You have a nice variety of birds there and beautiful photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, enjoy your weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
Hello, :=) Lovely selection of wild birds. The adorable White-crested Nuthatch is a particular favourite.
Loved this post! All beautifully captured. The hand feeding would be harmful for these wild birds. Special mention goes to the harbinger of spring!
What a nice variety you've seen this week. We love those big old Sandhill Cranes here too. They don't get spooked too easily. Love all kinds of woodpeckers too.
Wow you took some great photos. So close you can see their feathers & colors well .... really nice.
We have red-winged blackbirds in Tennessee year around, but I have only seen them in my yard at the feeder during winter. They are always a treat to see. Beautiful photos.
Thanks for these great images, Mae. They are all good friends of mine.
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