I went quite early to the park this morning hoping for another sighting of the Great Horned Owl. For the first half hour or so there was no sign of it but I was entertained with lots of birdsong. Several of the species singing were my first opportunity to hear these songs this spring including Pine Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Ruby-crowned Kinglet. It is not easy to photograph these little beauties so high in the trees but I did get a few photos:

Also high in the trees were these 2 American Goldfinch:

Eventually a large bird flew in to an enormous White Pine and it was the Great Horned Owl:

Here is our species list on this 7 degree, windy and overcast morning: double-crested cormorant, black-crowned night heron, mute swan, Canada goose, mallard, wood duck, lesser scaup. bufflehead, red-tailed hawk, ring-billed gull, mourning dove, great horned owl, belted kingfisher, northern flicker, red-bellied woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, downy woodpecker, black-capped chickadee, red-breasted nuthatch, white-breasted nuthatch, brown creeper,  American robin, ruby-crowned kinglet, blue-gray gnatcatcher,  pine warbler, black-throated green warbler, house sparrow, red-winged blackbird, common grackle, brown-headed cowbird, northern cardinal, house finch, American goldfinch, chipping sparrow, song sparrow.  (35 species)

Some birds near Grenadier Pond:

Some park scenes:

This morning’s group:

NATURE POETRY

When April blows his horn,
It’s good for hay and corn.              – Proverb

Miles Hearn