[backpacker]

A picture my wife took a few weeks back.

[Matt]

well done. I like the composition and pose there.

[Brenda]

Pretty little girl! I'm quite fond of them, since they're the largest of the family who frequent my suets.

[Winnie]

I do not see a lot of birds sitting still enough for me to take their pictures ... but I got this one.

[Brenda]

Nice! I like the colors.

[chris270]

Is the bird's feet frozen to the log? Well if thats how you get them to stay still...

[Winnie]

Thanks Brenda ... I thought the bird had pretty colors as well.

Chris ... I put a freezing element under the log to freeze that little sucker in place ... jk. I guess I just got lucky!

[Brenda]

This isn't worthy of the March photo challenge, but it's one of my annual first signs of spring; flocks of grackles and red-winged blackbirds. They were making a huge ruckus outside my office this morning:

[Brenda]

Well, the bluebirds are nesting, the turkeys are displaying out back, we saw the first TV (turkey vulture) of the season last week and a great blue heron flew over the house over the weekend. Spring is finally here! Has anyone else seen anything noteworthy so far?

[cbobcat49]

I went out to the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, like I do every year around this time, and surprisingly I didn't see much. A few herons. There's usually tons of them at the rookery. A very bright male cardinal, lots of red winged blackbirds. And a very interesting looking bird that I couldn't identify. It was about slightly smaller than a hawk but larger than a crow, had a very light gray color like a seagull, but much fatter than a seagull and it had fuller hawk-like wings. Also the last few inches of the tips of the wings were black. Any idea what that could be Brenda? I couldn't get a picture. By the time I got my camera out it had flown off into a field.

Chris

[Brenda]

Given the color and the black wing tips, I'd say a male Marsh Hawk aka Northern Harrier. I was just watching one hunt the back field a few minutes ago!

[cbobcat49]

yeah, that may have been it.
Here's a pic.

[Brenda]

One of the most distinguishing features of this species, male or female, is a white rump patch. While that can't be seen in the photo, the "ink dipped wings" of the male are visible (at least the right one ). They hunt differently than either the Buteos or the Accipiters as well. They work the open fields in low sweeping motions, rather than circling or hovering at heights like a Red-tailed does, or streaking in on their prey "from out of no where" like a "Sharpie" or Cooper's does.

[chris270]

Wow chris, I was there on sunday...saw alot of birds including a 1 or 2 yr bald eagle. You could see his white head but it wasn't distinct like a mature adult.

Anyways there were two harriers combing the field that looks like the picture you have. Could be something else though. The ospreys and herons were in full force sunday. We watched the male osprey catch a sunfish while the female stayed near. They also were carrying sticks to the nest ( some sticks seemed to be about 4 ft. long.).

Other than the raptors and herons bluebirds were the only other real active bird we saw.

[cbobcat49]

That's the heron activity I usually see there. Presuming you were at the rookery along route 63. Usually I see dozens at a time there but I only saw about 3 total. They are quite impressive when they carry sticks like that. Maybe I was there too early in the morning? It was about 7:30.