Thursday, March 3, 2011

Birds...

Other than the crazy birds in the previous post, everything else seemed normal at the strip pits last night. The first thing I saw were male pheasants, but alas, no photos. Just a bit too far away. Almost every time I am out there I see several male pheasants but not females...
last night that streak of luck changed. I spotted these four hens together. As you can tell by the photo they were skedaddling away the minute I slowed down. Not a great picture but at least proof that I saw some....and I saw some more in the distance.
Then there were the swans....these were at the pond the geese in the previous post were attempting to land in.
And there were a couple Northern Harriers...I was surprised to see them. What is so strange in regards to them is this though. When we first started noticing them, it was not uncommon to see a dozen in the air at once...and it was very common to see them hovering in the air. Like a hummingbird. Now, we very seldom see more than two or three out there...and I cannot even remember the last time I saw one hovering in the air.
Of course there were the red-winged blackbirds....always fun to see them.

I am trying to patiently wait for the dickcissel and the bobolink...I will be a while yet before they show up. Still, I look for them every time I am out there.