Springing into Spring

After enduring three dreary days of rain, I was pleased to wake up to a clear sky this morning. Lifting my spirits higher was the sight of an Eastern bluebird perched atop one of our backyard feeders. Although bluebirds are common in parks near home, it’s a rare day when I see one in our yard. I took that as a good sign.

After completing my chores as coffee-wallah for my wife, I drove out to the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm. Within a few minutes, I heard a bird chattering loudly nearby. My first thought was that it was a Northern mockingbird, but in about half a second I realized that it was a brown thrasher.

The bird was up in a tree, partly obscured by branches. But there was no mistaking its coloring, size and song. This was my first thrasher sighting of 2024, and I wanted to memorialize it with a photo. I took a few shots, hoping for the best, although I’d later discover that optical stabilization had been switched off on my lens.

I continued walking, hoping a might spot Wilson snipes in an area where another birder had spotted them a few days ago. I walked out to that area, near the observation deck, but only saw a Northern harrier and a good number of robins.

Several white-tailed deer were grazing in the field, and at one point they got spooked and started running. I was able to catch one of them bounding across the field and I was lucky that my shot (which tops this post) was sharp.

On my walk back to the car I was in for one more delight — the “twee!” call of an Eastern towhee. I heard the bird — another “FOY 2024” observation — a handful of times but never did spot it.

April is always a month when birding counts start climbing as the migrants begin passing through. I look forward to many encounters with thrashers and towhees in the months ahead.