Within the past two weeks we have jumped 45 degrees in temperature! From covering the newly purchased and planted plants at night to requiring sunscreen for a walk, it is -- in many ways -- a typical Michigan spring. That is, a day or two of sunny and 70, then 88 and sticky! It also means there is a good deal of action at the ditch, not the least of which was the buzzing of Harry by a red-winged blackbird!
...and more than a few swimming experts!
I'm seeing more ducklings around and they are getting all the lessons they need to handle life in the ponds!
I often hear frogs on my walk, their deep voices bellowing as I near the water. But I rarely see them. This fellow was taking a few minutes to dry off and sun himself on a rock.
I love his eyes! They are the true essence of "beady eyes."
As for bird action, there was plenty! This handsome jay was flitting around. I wish he'd share a feather or two with me!
And more red-winged blackbirds. I think this is the most prevalent species down there.
I'm not sure on this one, but looking at David's photos, I'm going to guess a female red-winged blackbird. (How far off the mark am I?)
Father -- or Mother -- Goose are pretty terratorial with their young and this proud parent was not about to let me get too close and pass by. He was hissing up a storm if I stepped to close.
So, I stood still and zoomed in.
Eventually, they cleared the path and I had the "OK" to continue. I couldn't help but think of the safety patrols in days of old -- you can cross now!
Finally, a last look or two at Harry, who was having a banner day fishing.
When he pulled this up, I was curious. A very large fish?
It appears to be he was getting in his veggie quotient for the day with a lily pad!
And after dinner, time to groom a bit!
I leave you with another look at the fluffy goslings. I have a feeling by the next time I see them, we may not recognize each other!
Ah! The sweet feeling of spring-into-summer.
Sharing with: Saturday's Critters / Pink Saturday / Let's Keep in Touch
The eyes have it Jeanie!!There's a new look here..I like it!
ReplyDeleteHello Jeanie
ReplyDeleteIt is always a treat to see Harry the Heron! I love the sweet ducklings and goslings.
The hissing Goose looks mean. Great captures of the Red-winged Blacks and the Blue Jay.
The frogs are cute too. Great wildlife photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend! PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
I love all the animal pictures. I can’t wait until we can get out and enjoy spring.
ReplyDeleteWonderful spring photos, always good to see the waterfowl. The goslings and ducklings are always my favourites. Have a great weekend, enjoy your good weather! Hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeleteYou have changed your format! As for your photos, the ones of the blue jay and the black bird were really remarkable. We don't see those here in Hawaii.
ReplyDeleteI sure do enjoy seeing all the babies, they are so cute! The red-winged black birds are so pretty, we don't have those here. Lots of great shots here today Jeanie. Have a great weekend. :)
ReplyDeleteAll wonderful pix ~ I can't pick a favorite! TFS!
ReplyDeleteHarry is such a fancy man! Love the shot of redwing decorating Harry's neck, like a little cape. Great timing , shutter Queen! The parents taking the geese children out for the day makes me want to read a book about goose children...I am waiting for you to write it.
ReplyDeleteYour jay is quite fancy also! Ours look exotic , too, but different from yours. Beautiful spring- vaccine, breathe! Thank you for a gorgeous spring walk with you and your camera.
My comment evaporated- trying again. Harry's cape is such excellent timing, great shutter reflexes, Ms. Shutter Queen!
ReplyDeleteI am waiting for a book by you about Harry , the goose parents and their children, Froggie, and the golden fish is a sea of turquoise. Exquisite gems!
You got some lovely photos of the birds! I love seeing the babies.
ReplyDeleteBirds' activity is of great interest to me. It includes:courtship, love, violence, family quarrels, humility..I see it all when they come to get their seeds(no feeders, I drop it to them), and it usually amuses me. It's interesting that they know the time when I'm about to open the window, gather there and wait...Amazing!
ReplyDeleteOh, Jeanie, you take the most beautiful photos and you have the most beautiful subjects to choose from. Those blackbirds are so pretty with that little touch of red but I don't like them when they dive at you. The ones around here don't even look pretty as they are pure black. Poor Harry I know how he must feel. I could sit there all day long and watch. The families brought back good memories for me when I was a school crossing guard..xxoJudy
ReplyDeletesuch wonderful images of our beautiful wildlife!! the first one, a 2-fer, what an awesome picture!! i am obsessed with the red-winged blackbirds they are so beautiful!!
ReplyDeletehave a wonderful weekend!!
Oh, that little frog, that's a great photo, Jeanie. I often hear the sound of a frog at night, but I don't see them anywhere. The red winged blackbird is such a beauty of a bird. And those fluffy goslings are precious, indeed. It looks like you had a good day at the ditch seeing wonderful things of nature. It was cooler this week, in the 30's and 40's at night, but next week it's supposed to warm up. I'm loving the temperatures so far in the mountains. I'm wondering what Summer will be like.
ReplyDelete~Sheri
I think you are right about the female red-winged blackbird. I took a photo of a bird that looked just like that, hoping it was something I'd never seen, and I was surprised to find out it was a female red-winged blackbird. They were everywhere around here last month, but I'm not sure if they are still here. I think they were just migrating through.
ReplyDeleteI was shocked to see a Yellow-crowned Night Heron in my backyard this morning. It's all the rain we had---six inches one day.
Harry grooming is quite a sight.
ReplyDeleteYour images are lovely Jeanie. The frog is special. Gotta love those babies. Something to be said about all babies. Thanks for sharing your nature photos
ReplyDeleteThe ducklings and goslings are just the cutest to get to see and photograph! You got some amazing photos this week!
ReplyDeleteYour weather sounds good.
ReplyDeleteWe have had some very wet and windy days here in the UK and parts of Scotland have had snow!
I'm looking forward to warmer, sunnier days soon I hope.
Lovely photographs on your post.
Enjoy your weekend.
All the best Jan
What wonderful pictures! I don't think there is anything much cuter than those sweet little ducklings--especially when they are surrounding mama. Hope you have a wonderful night- xo Diana
ReplyDeleteI love, love your new format and header. Very nice!!!!
ReplyDeleteWondering if herons and red-wing black birds have a relationship thing. I saw a very similar sight when we went bird watching yesterday. Amazing! Love seeing your nature too.
I stopped by earlier and got distracted by a phone call. I have a love/hate relationship with those geese. You are right, they are mean and territorial. And the slime they leave as evidence of their presence. I'm not fond of blue jays, either. They are also quite territorial and will swoop down and peck at you if they feel their young are being threatened. I haven't seen any in Wichita, but they were everywhere in MO.
ReplyDeleteHarry looks good, and your photos of him and the up close ones of the frog are amazing. You have a superb camera and know how to use it. Thanks for taking me to the ditch today, dear.
Looking good in the hood! We actually put our air conditioner on. Janice
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy your photo tours and the fabulous nature photos!
ReplyDeleteI love, love love your ditch and all the activity that goes on there, especially Harry. Also love your new blog heading/skin. I should freshen mine up but I'm afraid I'll do something wrong and lose the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteJeanie, I love the new look on your blog, it is fabulous. I always enjoy a trip to the ditch to see birds and of course, Harry! Enjoy the remainder of the weekend!
ReplyDeleteOh, you did have some wondrous sightings.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your weekend.
Hello.
ReplyDeleteWonderful serie of birds and animals. The heron is awesome.
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for the sweet tour of springtime. Love all the critters.
ReplyDeleteYour blog looks new and improved, Jeanie. Go to the top of the class for correctly identifying a female Red-winged Blackbird! Bravo! And speaking of Red-winged Blackbirds that foolhardy male would do well to avoid irritating Harry too much. With one lightening thrust of that rapier bill he could become a heron snack! The full flush of spring has provided you with wonderful material for this post. I suspect you will shortly be heading north to the cottage and we are all looking forward to your reports from there.
ReplyDeleteANd just like that....it's early summer! Yes, temps have changed quickly here too. Love the new header, it's YOU!
ReplyDeleteLove the pics! Those fish are so cool! I have never seen anything like that around here! I saw some goslings on a run and was bummed Paul wasn’t with me to see them, too!
ReplyDeleteWe have had the same weather pattern. It is so humid here right now. I am reminding myself not to complain but oof it is uncomfortable outside! It will break on Tuesday and I am looking forward to that. If it’s humid, I want to be by water I can swim in!!
You have such a good eye for taking great photos! I am fascinated by the frog pictures, absolutely beautiful, such potential for a painting.
ReplyDeleteThat first photo is such a great capture! I had to do a double-take. :)
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you're experimenting! I got your post in both the old and new formats, and I really like the new. It's fresh and clean, and really lets your photos shine. You'd love my bird feeder right now. It's full of parents and young 'uns, and there are at least three bluejay 'babies' who are learning how to compete for peanuts. They're such fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteThe temperature extremes this spring have been unusual here. I'm loving your nature photos. We get blue jays and geese here, and I can see a heron at the Japanese garden at the local Botanic garden. It must be happy there. It never ventures out to other nearby lakes, and it's not restrained in any way. The red-winged black bird is one I never see here. The geese are _so_ territorial! Downright scary if you come upon a nest unexpectedly.
ReplyDeleteGreat bird photos Jeanie. Especially the heron. Wow
ReplyDeleteLove it
ReplyDeleteYour photos are amazing! I feel as though I was there to visit in person!
ReplyDeleteGreat bird show Jeanie. A walk with you always is entertaining with your wildlife there. Always fun to see Harry and the darling new spring life. I get a lot of the same here when I take the time to go to our ponds, always something interesting to see. Our temps have also taken a turn, we enjoyed a most surprising cool/mild spring. Usually May is hot as heck! Summer has arrived!
ReplyDeleteHow I would love to be walking right next to you enjoying such beauty. Thank you for taking us along.
ReplyDeleteLots of life at the ditch. Harry is looking good and the babies are adorable.
ReplyDeleteI loved your pictures, your comments, filling us in on all the happenings around your house... such a fun post!
ReplyDeleteWow Jeanie. You got some more fabulous photos at the ditch. You caught the birds and the frog in action. Wow. And catching the heron just as the blackbird flew by is impressive. I might have gotten by late but glad I didn't miss this post. Happy start to the new week. Hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteMarvelous nature shots Jeanie! The warm weather coaxes the animals out. I love the photo of the colorful fish. It almost looks like a digital creation. The frog is awesome!
ReplyDeleteLoved your post, your walk Jeanie.
ReplyDeleteMomma and goslings are growing.
I like this still cuddling stage?
I enjoyed Harry and flowers too.
A wonderful springtime post!
Aww, the frog is so cute! It looks gorgeous. I like all the animals, of course. You've shared, again, lovely pictures!! xx
ReplyDeleteThese animals are very cute!
ReplyDeleteThe fishes have beautiful colors
I love these ditch photos, Jeanie! You sure saw a lot of wildlife. Harry is always my favorite, of course.
ReplyDelete