Changeable

 Well it has certainly been changeable the last few days!

We had a beautiful, spring like day with all sorts of little birds busy in the bushes....

like this Spotted Towhee.....along with lots of Junco and Song Sparrow....

Next day...

we were back to dull and cloudy, but at least still dry....doubt you can see it, but there is a heron over against the far bank, and if you look really closely, there are pussy willows starting on the bush in the foreground.

there were also a number of Red-wing Blackbirds and now they are starting to do their territorial calling, I saw one female with all the males, no doubt more will be showing up shortly.

Come mid-day, we'd hoped for a nice walk at the dike...

unfortunately, it was not to be....there was snow being driving horizontally right at us....it was a very short walk!

Today's attempt went much better. On the way there, we noticed a number of swans in the fields, close to the road....

lot's of Trumpeters....

but also Tundra's....this one really noticeable!  That is a male Northern Pintail with it.

Also in the fields, but in another area closer to the dike,

lots of Canada Geese and they are getting to the stage where they are pairing up and chasing competitors away....

also, pairing up....

we've noticed a Red-tail Hawk almost every time we've been in the area lately, well today we realized there is a pair, and they seem to be spending time near the bedraggled eagle nest that seems to have been abandoned. It seems like maybe our fear that the injured eagle was one of the pair, or maybe they have just realized that there isn't enough branch structure left to support a nest, but perhaps it would be suitable for a pair of hawks.  Time will tell.

walking a bit the other direction....this Great Blue Heron was spotted on the shore...

and stayed, contentedly fishing, as we walked by.

As we were heading home, we were surprised to see a couple of Turkey Vultures! Turkey Vultures are common in the area, but we've never seen them in February before!  By the time we could pull over and stop and I could try and get a picture for proof, they had moved too far away.

Of course we are getting to 'that time of year'.....any day now we expect an influx of robins, we've had Tree Swallows before the end of February before, although the very beginning of March is more likely....Mountain Bluebirds and Western Meadowlark can be expected to show up pretty soon too.