Osprey, White-crowned Sparrows and Bearded…Chickadees?

It was a windy, chilly spring day when I took these Osprey photos. The Osprey male was making very good use of the wind to soar high into the sky and then back down over the lake. It was a beautiful sight. The Osprey are adding to their nests and mating now. The female calls persistently on the nest until the male joins her – preferably with a fish.

Osprey male soaring on the wind

At the nest – bonding pair.

Looking for fish.

There are now two White-crowned Sparrows “hanging out” at my feeder, competing with the Juncos for the seeds and insects available in the newly sprouting grass. They have a very distinctive call and it is good to see, not just hear them!

White-crowned Sparrow: searching for seeds
and insects

Dog hair can be exciting – if you are a Chestnut-backed Chickadee.

A bearded chickadee?

Yet another bearded chickadee!

Max, my German Shepherd, is shedding his undercoat now and I leave that hair out for the birds. Sometimes swallows will come down to get the hair if I put it in the right place. But chickadees also love to gather the hair for their nests and a chickadee with a bill full of dog hair looks very, very funny. Spring is the season for the bearded chickadees!

all writing and photos copyright Joanne Siderius