A good stamp.

Baltimore Orioles are a late spring arrival. Seeing this one was a good stamp on spring finally being here. Photo shot through the kitchen window which has a screen, therefore the slightly out of focus image.

It is at a hummingbird feeder; I have learned over the past several years that orioles prefer them to the oriole feeders I have trialed; the hummingbird feeders are less tippy and unsteady.

In formation.

Turkey Vultures are on the move; fall migration seems to be underway. These three are in a line astern formation above a night roost. Could not get a good focus on them despite numerous tries. My technique needs work.

Such graceful birds; I love watching them.

On the move.

This morning was very calm. This screen grab from the Detroit Michigan National Weather Service radar shows circles, or rings, at the top centre, just right of centre, bottom centre, and a small, partial one at bottom, right of centre.

The radar picked up – hundreds of thousands? millions? – of birds fanning out from these overnight roosting areas, on the move and looking for food, fattening up for migration.

First visit.

I happened to be sitting on the deck when this Baltimore Oriole made its first visit of the season to my backyard hummingbird feeder, which it prefers to the larger oriole feeder.

Tundra Swans.

Tundra Swans gather by the thousands in the corn- and potato-fields near Grand Bend Ontario as they start their journey to their nesting grounds in the far north.

Were fortunate to be able to detour last weekend to see the swans. It was an overcast day with light snow falling. These two commuted from a field on one side of the road we observed from, to a field on the other side of the road.

Spring is here.

Tundra Swans are on the move. I drove by a field and hundreds were flying, standing, resting.

Spring is here. I’m blessed to witness its arrival.

On the move

Migratory birds are on the move here. Robins are no linger tut-tutting, killdeer are scarce, have not seen or heard orioles and grosbeaks for a while.

On a recent grey and gloomy day, during an outing that took me to the north shore of Lake Erie, I saw this group of Turkey vultures on the move, headed west along the lake shore to the nearest way around the lake instead of over it. Such graceful birds.

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