Spring Update

Spring is in full swing. Right about now is my favorite time, with the world looking so new and lush. The trees are all in flower, and the leaves, which came out in early May still have their "new" yellow-green look.

The feeling is much different than the "lazy summer" feeling, where it is warm, lazy, with singing cicadas overhead. Instead there is always a feeling of movement, of change. The evening sounds are of spring peepers (small frogs), with the occasional amazing song of the wood thrush. And we have the morning chorus - hundreds of hungry, hormone-crazed birds singing their heart out.

Yesterday the three of us went birding, being peak migration. It was somewhat cold, so we could get a late start. Even at 10 am, the birds were waking up. We started at thousand acre swamp in Penfield, then went up to the Lake Ontario Lakeshore (Webster park), and finally had a very productive stop at the bottom of Irondequoit bay.

The birds were a bit hard to come by, but patience was eventually rewarded. All told we saw 45 species, with several highlights being yellow, Blackburnian and Magnolia warblers, Baltimore Oriole, and ( !!! ) a Bald Eagle. This last was found at the bottom of Irondequiot bay 1.5 km away, and was spotted by Nina and confirmed by Gwendolyn. The bird was pearched on a high tree overlooking the bay, looking very majestic.