Our stop at Peers Wetland caused this Red-winged Blackbird to defend his home. Male Red-winged Blackbirds fiercely defend their territories during the breeding season, spending more than a quarter of daylight hours in territory defense. He will chase other males out of the area and attack nest predators, sometimes going after much larger animals, including horses and people. (Cornell Lab, All About Birds.)
Killdeer have returned! We saw over a dozen yesterday. Killdeer get their name from the shrill, wailing kill-deer call they give. Eighteenth-century naturalists also noticed how noisy Killdeer are, giving them names such as the Chattering Plover and the Noisy Plover. (Cornell Lab, All About Birds.)
A Great Horned Owl slept in a swaying tree, 45-50 feet off the ground today. Getting a shot of this fellow was difficult as branches and twigs cast shadows across his face. Sometimes the tree in which the owl was resting would sway from one side of the view finder to the other.
On the way home, we found 2,500 Tundra Swans outside of Wallaceburg.
On Saturday, a Snowy Owl took a break at the Sarnia Marina.
Common Grackles have been frequenting our backyard platform feeder. A recent sunny day allowed this Grackle to show off his glossy iridescent colouring.
No feathers on this reptile, but finding a Painted Turtle basking in Canatara Park on March 11th was another good sign of the coming spring weather!
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