Posted by gregdodge March 6, 2010 Buds and Birds Some pre-spring happeningsĀ at the Museum… Elm buds have been showing for a few weeks, this one was close enough to the ground to photograph. Red Maple is in full bloom. Wax Myrtle is showing buds. A Gray Squirrel partakes in a tasty snack of buds or flowers, or both. A Carolina Chickadee inspects a natural cavity in a sycamore. This tree is within 12 feet or so of the boardwalk. If the bird decides to use this for nesting it may make for good photographic opportunities. A Red-winged Blackbird checks out the Wetlands. This bird was in the company of three others and was just passing through. There is, however, a lone male who sings daily in the Wetlands. Apparently always excavating holes in trees at this time of year, a Brown-headed Nuthatch continues its work. I noticed this bird circling above Catch the Wind (2/5) performing a “courtship” flight. I later found the bird (Cooper’s Hawk) in a pine calling loudly kak, kak, kak, kak…it’s time to think about nesting. A winter resident at the Museum, this Ruby-crowned Kinglet searches for food among the branches of a willow in the Wetlands. Kinglets often start singing before leaving us for points north, I haven’t heard their song yet. Get outdoors and have a look around for yourself, and let me know what you see! Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Related