Not one minute went by during this morning’s walk (2 degrees and sunny at the start) without a raucous call from a male Red-winged Blackbird. When they sing, they puff up there feathers as you can see in these photos:

Some others photographed while singing:

This robin was fanning its tail feathers:

Other birds:

Species list: red-necked grebe, horned grebe, double-crested cormorant, mute swan, Canada goose, mallard, gadwall, lesser scaup, bufflehead, long-tailed duck, common goldeneye, red-breasted merganser, hooded merganser,  ring-billed gull, mourning dove, rock pigeon, belted kingfisher, downy woodpecker, black-capped chickadee, American robin, European starling, house sparrow, red-winged blackbird, common grackle, brown-headed cowbird, northern cardinal, American goldfinch, dark-eyed junco, American tree sparrow, song sparrow.  (30 species)

Today’s group:

Scenes from the park:

Silver Maple flowers

NATURE POETRY

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.     – Robert Frost (1874–1963)

Miles Hearn