BIRDS

[SwampDonkey]

If you go up along the St Lawrence in Quebec beginning around mid-March, at Saint Pierre Lake near Trois-Rivieres,  there are thousands of snow geese on the mud flats. They are apparently after bulrush roots to help them make the journey.

https://rove.me/to/quebec/snow-geese-spring-migration

[ron barnes]

I have had bluebirds checking out one house in the back yard for the past 2 days.  Hope they start nesting here soon.  Love watching them.

[Chuck White]

Around the end of March, or early April, there will likely be some of them in our area!

[SwampDonkey]

Earliest I see them is last week of April up here, but usually mid May.

[NewYankeeSawmill]

They Bluebirds are fighting over the nesting boxes here already!
Get some Carolina Wren's (or it's a really precocious one!) too that are a delight to watch. They'll nest in just about anything!

[NewYankeeSawmill]

I walked out to the well last night to make sure the light bulb was burning and hear the owls talking to one another.  It was a pleasant thing to hear.

I guess its the barn owls around here around mating season... sound like a group of monkey's tearing up the woods!

[KEC]

So I understand, many years ago this area had Barn Owls, but they are now absent from most of NY. I have never seen one in the wild. If any were to show up here I would be scrambling to build and erect a nest box for them. If any of you guys are aware of any Barn Owls in Upstate New York, I'd really like to hear from you.

[WhitePineJunky]

Never seen a barn owl in my life. Many barred and great horned owls though

[SwampDonkey]

Every time I see those barred owls around here it's in thick canopied fir dominated woods. I saw a pair one morning going to work thinning. I had to drive through some mature fir trees to get to the other side. There they was taking off from fir trees. Same with the one two weeks ago, even though he was in an aspen, he had hopped out of a fir tree.

[NewYankeeSawmill]

Bugger was working on a sunflower seed, couldn't get him to hold still long enough to catch his head still.
I must have a family of them nearby, because I can count 4 or 5 of them calling to each other from the tree's when I fill the feeder.

[KEC]

Red-bellied Woodpecker.

[Chuck White]

Saw a bunch of Robins and a pair of Killdeers in the backyard yesterday morning!

[woodroe]

A pair of Bluebirds checking out the bird boxes here today.
A sure sign of spring ? Snow cover is receding fast with lots 
of bare ground in places.

[SwampDonkey]

No spring birds here yet. Going to be nasty wet weather here for next 2 days.

[aigheadish]

I've seen a couple what I believe to be eastern bluebirds, they may be my favorite. We also had a couple ducks in the creek yesterday and one in the pond a couple days ago. I love the ducks. 

[KEC]

The woodcock are back near my house. 

[SwampDonkey]

Haven't seen any woodcock here yet, not even a robin or blackbird. Be some time yet I suspect.

[WhitePineJunky]

Robins stay here year round 

I heard a sparrow do their spring song for the first time this season today

[SwampDonkey]

white throated? Haven't seen those yet either. This spring is early, so don't know if that will effect the bird returns. So far have not seen any evidence they will be here early.

[WhitePineJunky]

I believe so, I have always called them sparrow song birds. In the spring and early summer it's the first song you hear before the sun rises, even before the robins 
They are year round residents but are on the northern most part of that spectrum I believe 

[SwampDonkey]

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-throated_Sparrow/sounds

[NewYankeeSawmill]

... it's the first song you hear before the sun rises, even before the robins

That's the Rooster! 

[WhitePineJunky]

... it's the first song you hear before the sun rises, even before the robins

That's the Rooster! 

Don't even get me started on that bugger

[KEC]

At 2:55 am today a pair of Great Horned Owls were dueting behind the house.

[aigheadish]

Black vultures! They were neat! I don't know how to add photos from my gallery on my phone anymore! The Merlin app told me what they were from a photo, and it told me they were "uncommon" but maybe that's for this area. I don't think I've seen them around here before.

Let's try this-