You can almost set your watch by the Tree Swallow’s spring return to Toronto. Last week of March every year. Perfect timing as there were clouds of delicious Midges flying about.

On this morning of threatening rain I visited Col Sam Smith Park hoping to see and hear the Tree Swallows:


There were many. Photographing darting swallows is a difficult affair. Here is the best I could do today. I’ll keep trying.



In addition I found an adorable Pied-billed Grebe. “Pied” means “having two or more colours.” The Pied-billed is the most wide spread grebe, found on small marshy ponds and waterways across most of the continent. This little grebe has one of my favourite bird calls:


Red-necked and Horned Grebes were also present:






Other birds:






















NATURE QUOTE
“True hope is swift, and flies with swallow’s wings.” – Shakespeare
Miles Hearn
It’s so exciting to see the birds coming back, like the Tree Swallows! Also, the winter ducks still there–and the Grebes are beautiful. Thanks for including the call of the Pied-billed Grebe. Every time you capture a bird with its bill open for squawking, it cracks me up. The Red-winged Blackbird looked particularly obnoxious. Thanks, Miles!
The red winged blackbird appears to be proud of his epaulettes…great shot Miles.
gorgeous!!!! Spring is in the air,miss the Nature walks,doing my “own”….only,nobody can tell me the names of the birds and buds I see.Thank You Miles for keeping us in the “loop”……..