Finally...A Redpoll

Boy, what a beautiful sunrise it was this morning! But, it seems as if the "Red sky in the morning..." adage might hold true, since we are expecting several inches of snow and a lot of wind later. It will once again look like winter around here, at least for a while. But, we expect that around here...Last year, we still had ice on our lakes well into April!

Not much new to report on the bird front, except that I finally did see a Redpoll at one of our park bird feeders earlier this week! So, the irruption of winter finches from the north continues. I also have been seeing some Tree Sparrows and a lot of Juncos, so the winter birds are still hanging around. But, every now and then, I do hear a Cardinal singing, so Spring can't be too far away!

Spring Teaser

After temps around 50 earlier this week, we have returned to more seasonal temps in the 30's. Nonetheless, the warmer weather did melt much of our snow, so it is at least looking a little more spring-like around here!

But, some water has been opening up and, with it, the number of eagle observations is increasing. Bald Eagles tend to head north as the lakes and rivers open up so they can find fish to eat. But, the melting snow also exposes animal carcasses that have been buried all winter, and the eagles feast on those, as well! Mmmm! Waterfowl are also moving north now that things are opening up, and the eagles follow those flocks, as well, ready to pick off any sick or injured birds that they may spot! So, take a short drive and find some open water; look around carefully and you may just see a Bald Eagle or two!

Another Sign of Spring

I just went out to chip the ice off our "heated" bird bath, and I heard the unmistakable Spring "what cheer" song of one of our local Cardinals! When I hear that, at least to me, Spring is unofficially here! To learn more about Cardinals and hear their Spring song, visit eNature.com.

Winter Birds

Our bird feeders here at Thorpe Park have been very busy this winter. Unfortunately, we haven't had any unusual birds, like we did several winters ago when we were surprised by a pair of Red Crossbills! But, much of Iowa has enjoyed a wonderfully large number of Redpolls this year and, although we haven't seen any yet here at the park, we did see some at our house.

As I said, our park feeders have been quite busy. We have seen many Blue Jays, Cardinals, Chickadees, Goldfinches, White and Red-Breasted Nuthatches, Downy Woodpeckers, Tree Sparrows, and Juncos, along with an occasional Hairy Woodpecker, Purple Finch, and Red-Bellied Woodpecker. We've also seen a few Cedar Waxwings feeding on frozen crabapples in the tree in front of our office. And, I heard the first sound of Spring the other day--a Chickadee singing its mating song! It's amazing that they know Spring is on its way when the temps are barely above zero!