Nuts

Red-necked Grebe

We were busy with real life stuff yesterday....getting ready for the kids to visit, as Alan is home from Vancouver WA, running errands, and a plethora of other things, including housework.

I did not expect much in the way of birds or birding. However, all work and no play etc.....so we combined errands with birds.

Bonaparte's Gulls

American Kestrel

And wow, just wow.

First we found a Red-necked Grebe down by McDonald's, which by the way is a great place to bird. They say if you keep buying coffee you can sit in the big front windows and watch the river in warmth and comfort. Anyhow, life bird for me.

Dedication

Then we saw a few more nice seasonal birds in a quick visit to Schoharie Xing, and got a Northern Mockingbird, right where we first saw one last year. Nice bird, as they no longer seem to nest here on the farm. Cold winters I guess. We had ONE last year and winter storm Stella finished him I guess.

Belted Kingfisher

Then on the way over to check out the growing lineup for the spring junk machinery auction, we stopped at a spot we call Bear Swamp, as it is in fact part of that swamp. 

Good weather for ducks...Hooded Mergansers

Almost the whole pond was still frozen, but we were peering at a single Canada Goose out on the ice when the boss said, "You have two more incoming."

I had actually seen them crossing from west to east and dismissed them as just more geese...we see lots of geese. However, since he had mentioned them I trained the binoculars on them and about went nuts.

Sandhill Cranes!!! They are my sort of my grail bird here in NY, especially outside the Montezuma NWR complex. I have NEVER seen them anywhere but there, or in the South or West where they are common. They even obliged me with a couple of photos before wandering off across the sky.

This may be the coldest, wettest, and most miserable spring since the 1800s, but it sure has been spectacular for birds. Downright nuts.