Day 088: Magnificent Mate Wanted!

Easter Morning dawned crystal clear after yesterday’s rain, and thus I took an early birding / photography walk which started shortly after sunrise. The birds in the Medicine Lake Wetlands were extremely happy and busy about the business of finding a mate! As brunch was not till 10:00 am, I hiked for three hours. Here’s the list of birds I saw … of which many you will find photographs below:

  • Bluebirds
  • Buffleheads
  • Blue Jays
  • Canadian Geese
  • Cardinals
  • Chickadees
  • Cedar Waxwings
  • Coots
  • Downy Woodpecker
  • Great Horned Owl
  • Hairy Woodpecker
  • Mallards
  • Mourning Doves
  • Osprey
  • Red Breasted Nuthatches
  • Red Merganser
  • Red-Shafted Flicker
  • Red-Winged Blackbirds
  • Robins
  • Seagulls
  • Snowy Egret
  • Song Sparrows
  • Tree Swallows
  • Wood Ducks

Perhaps the most amazing site of the morning was when a bluebird attacked a tree swallow which was trying to take over the bird house. They ended up “wrestling” and “pecking” just a a few feet away from me. I was so surprised and startled I missed the photo opportunity!

Red-Winged Blackbird Displaying!
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Tree Swallows
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Red-Shafted Flicker
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Wood Ducks Looking for a Mate
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Red Breasted Mergansers (Wood Ducks in the background)
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Eastern Bluebirds
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Buffleheads Taking Flight
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