The April morning is clear, calm and chilly as I step outside. We have a temperature of about freezing. I expect it to warm up in the afternoon. Most of the snowpack is melting, but there are still lasting patches. Walking in the woods is getting much better than it has been for months.
As I travel on the road, I get to look at and listen to the unfolding spring. Vernal happenings were a bit late this year, but well worth the wait. A Canada goose pair has settled into the swamp where they had a nest last year. Sandhill cranes are exploring another swamp that I pass by. Trumpeter swans that were here last week have moved on.
This is a good time to see other flocks. Groups of robins have stopped in a roadside tree; most are silent. A large flock of sparrows is feeding on seeds near the road. Stopping to take a closer look, I see that most are juncos, but several tree sparrows and fox sparrows are here, too.
Fox sparrows, a bit larger than the other sparrows, are interesting to watch as they scratch out their meals. Red-winged blackbirds are calling, proclaiming territorial ownership at the local swamps. These are all males; females do not arrive for about another month.
A loud pileated woodpecker pounds on a tree in the woods while two migrant woodpeckers are here as well: yellow-bellied sapsuckers and flickers. Also in the forest, I hear the resident ruffed grouse has located its drumming log that was buried in the snow and “wing drums” for attention. Back beyond the woods, a tom turkey gobbles. As I go from the swamps and woods, I pass an open field that has been the staging site for the woodcock’s nocturnal performance.
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Approaching the river, I see that the water level is above normal, but not as it was a week or two ago. In the small trees nearby, I note the movement of a couple small birds. One, that seems to not stop its moving, is a ruby-crowned kinglet. And the other, a brown one, is a song sparrow giving a morning tune.
Out in the open water of this stream, some waterfowl are making use of it. Here are a pair of colorful wood ducks and the large white head patch of the hooded mergansers. Joining these woodies and hoodies is a drake mallard. As I observed them, I hear a rattling call from the branches overhead. A quick look confirmed that the local belted kingfisher has also arrived from its wintering.
Using its superb eyesight, the bird dives into the cold water to snatch a passing small fish. These robust fish-eating birds, 12-14 inches long with large powerful bills, are classified as perching birds, just as songbirds are. Both males and females have a crest and a mostly gray body with white underneath. Both have a band, a belt, on their chests. Females also have a rusty, nearly orange, covering on the belly. This makes for a rare situation of a female bird being more colorful than the male.
Though they are common around lakes, ponds and rivers, their nests are tunnels in overhanging banks. I expect that during the coming warmer months, I will be seeing and hearing this bird often as it flies and feeds along this river and the nearby lake. Typically, they catch a small fish, fly back to a branch and maneuver it so that it gets swallowed head-first.
Another bird of spring is present.
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