More Spring Arrivals and a Glorious Moon

It was a nice mild morning at the wetlands. The moon was beautiful and there are more spring arrivals every day. This morning, I spotted a common yellowthroat (very common at the wetlands!), orchard orioles, and a yellow-breasted chat. The chat was not so accommodating with the photographs. I tried, but he kept moving from the top of one tree to another and always obscured by leaves, so the pictures were not so good. I will keep trying as I’ve seen him in the same place every spring for the past few years. I saw the start of a woven nest—maybe an oriole’s work? The highlight of the morning was watching an osprey fishing!

Common yelllowthroat warbler
beginning of woven nest
Osprey in flight
Osprey in flight
Osprey diving
Osprey in water
Osprey in water

It didn’t look like they got anything on this dive. They shook off the water and kept at it, still circling around when I left. That is hard work! It amazes me how they can take off from in the water. They must have incredibly strong wings.

Osprey in flight
Osprey in flight

Busy Wetlands

It has been a busy few days at the Wakarusa Wetlands. The wet, cool weather has been especially good for early morning walks. Shorebirds are arriving in abundance and year-round residents are busy staking out territory, courting, and gathering nest materials. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Common yellow-throat warbler

© Chris Taylor

Goslings

© Chris Taylor

White-crowned sparrow

© Chris Taylor

Caspian tern

© Chris Taylor

Cormorants

© Chris Taylor

Egret and terns

© Chris Taylor

Western kingbird

© Chris Taylor

More Wakarusa Wetlands magic

Click on pictures to enlarge.

© Chris Taylor

© Chris Taylor

© Chris Taylor

© Chris Taylor

© Chris Taylor

© Chris Taylor

© Chris Taylor

© Chris Taylor

© Chris Taylor

© Chris Taylor