So I FINALLY spent some time adding an entry this morning and uploading pictures, and when I went to publish it, I got an error message and lost everything - so this is going to be a much more abbreviated post then what I originally wrote because I don't have much time now.
In fact, I've not had time to post for a few weeks now because I usually do so at my work computer early in the morning or during my lunch break, but it has been so busy lately that I've simply not had the time. But this blog is not here for me to gripe about work, so enough of that.
This past weekend Pamela and I joined out friends Laura and Mark for her annual BBC Vernal Equinox trip. We started out at Ipswich River Sanctuary, where I found an immature shrike almost immediately after getting out of the car. (I tried for a few pics but it flew to a distant post.) It was certainly not expected, and interesting to see what is (for us) a winter bird in the same field as the bluebirds which were pairing up and checking out the boxes there.
Ipswich River Sanctuary is known for having chickadees that expect you to feed them and if you hold out your hand with seed in it, they will fly down and eat right out of your hand. (And if you don't have any seed they will scold you for it!) It's a great way to spark an interest in birds in any budding naturalists mind! Laura and Mark did bring seed and fed quite a few birds, but somehow I never got an in-focus picture of it! Of course, once the chickadees start making noise, other birds soon show up to see what's going on.
This nuthatch wanted to get some food, but just couldn't quite bring himself to come to the hand for it.
And this Cardinal flew in to check out what was going on, but wouldn't even consider demeaning himself to come to a person to be fed. He was very cooperative in allowing me to wander around to get pictures of him in different light - he was high enough in the tree to not be concerned with me. The following in my favorite -reminds me of a barrel-chested Teddy Roosevelt.
"Bully!"
