I’ve been wondering recently who the green bird nesting boxes with the metallic entrances seen at Ashbridge’s Bay were for. Question answered. They are for Tree Swallows and perhaps the metal prevents House Sparrows from enlarging the holes and using the boxes for themselves.

There were about a half dozen Tree Swallows this morning in 8 degree and sunny weather.

It was an excellent morning for birding with 35 species. At one point, a Loon sang from overhead.

Species list: common loon, double-crested cormorant, trumpeter swan, mute swan, Canada goose, mallard, gadwall, bufflehead, long-tailed duck, lesser scaup, red-breasted merganser, common merganser, killdeer, herring gull, ring-billed gull, mourning dove, belted kingfisher, yellow-bellied sapsucker,  northern flicker, eastern phoebe, black-capped chickadee, red-breasted nuthatch, brown creeper, American robin, hermit thrush, golden-crowned kinglet, European starling, red-winged blackbird, common grackle, brown-headed cowbird, northern cardinal, house finch, American goldfinch, dark-eyed junco, song sparrow. 

Some that I was able to photograph:

Some flying birds:

Some park scenes:

Some botany:

This morning’s group:

NATURE POETRY

Now, if to be an April-fool
Is to delight in the song of the thrush,
To long for the swallow in air’s blue hollow,
And the nightingale’s riotous music-gush.     – Mortimer Collins (1827–76) 

Miles Hearn