Sunday, March 18, 2012

Springaling

So spring has sprung, it would seem. Birds have returned from their winter hideaways. Males are singing their hearts out high atop trees. Mallards and geese are pairing up. And some birds are fighting for the rights to their chosen mates


red winger
My true first sign of the season is the return of the red-winged blackbirds with their wonderful "Bdleeeeeeeeeeet." Their calls, along with a few other bird sounds are the noises which define spring and summer for me.




free falling
They're lovely in flight. These two allowed me to approach the tree upon which they were perched. Then they decided to show off with a bit of aerial acrobatics for my camera. At least that's what I like to believe.





flyby gull
Gulls are beautiful to watch in flight.




two gulls sitting
And at rest.





two gulls leaving
And at hurried departure due to woman with camera approaching.




duck fight
Duck fight! There are only so many female mallards at this pond.




duck fight - angry mallard
This guy has successfully chased his rival right out of the camera frame.




robin muddle
Have a look at this flurry of activity in front of the tree. It would appear that these robins were squabbling about something.





robin fight
Here there are, face to face - a stand fly off. How do you suppose this stated?




robin be gone
Ah there she is, waiting patiently while the males fight over her. It looks like we have a winner.


Of course the signs of spring aren't limited to just birds. I'll be back in a few days with some freshly emerging buds and some other goodies. Until then, enjoy the weather - no matter which season surrounds you and thanks always for joining me.

61 comments:

stephen Hayes said...

Love the one of the duck chasing the other out of the picture frame. Great stop action.

Anyes said...

Knowing Spring is over there on the other side of the country, gives me hope it will eventually show up here too. Snow is forecasted for tomorrow.

Your second to last photograph is truly showing all the agitation amongst the birds. Spring is indeed in the air. Enjoy, it Hilary :-)

Dan said...

Your series captures in large part the eternal vestibule of Spring migration from which they came; settling anew the next dance and generations to follow.

Lisa said...

I love the duck fight. All are beautiful. I smiled right thought this . Loved it !!

LadyFi said...

The birds are back here, but it's still more winter than spring!

Love all your bird shots!

Rob-bear said...

Here, the snow is gone, and the geese have returned to the river. Sadly I haven't taken any pictures.

Lynne with an e said...

Talk about action-packed! This post aint just for the birds. Well, technically it is but you know what I mean.

Maggie May said...

Love those mallards having a good splash in the pond!
English robins are quite aggressive with each other. They look entirely different from yours though.
Maggie X

Nuts in May

Indrani said...

Wow! Excellent bird captures! Interesting to see their action shots.

Anita said...

I love how you seem to become one with your subjects. I envy your knowledge of nature. :) I hope you'll be able to capture these images forever.

Gary's third pottery blog said...

I know! We just noticed the red wing blackbirds and their call Saturday!

Ruby said...

Beautiful birds. I love the gull picture.

Brian Miller said...

th pic of the ducks diving off the railing is just amazing hilary...cool capture...and the one of the squabble there toward the end...perhaps they are just playing tag...smiles.

Anvilcloud said...

Great snaps, Hilary.

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

As so often happens with your posts, with each successive photo, I thought I had found my favorite. Not. They're all terrific, and your narration is perfect. We've got a lot of bird squabbling going on among the evergreens in our back yard, too, right now. There's so much drama out there that it's entertaining to just sit by a window and watch.

NitWit1 said...

Those waterfowl types are really active. Hope no one gets hurt in all this vying for attention.

June said...

Oh, don't the blackbirds just DO IT FOR YOU??? Me too!

Rita said...

What a magical sight!You are Good!
Rita

CorvusCorax12 said...

great pictures...we still have quite a bit of snow, but the temperatures are spouse to go up this week, so i hope i see some string myself

DJan said...

Those gull pictures are simply wonderful. I also love watching the mating displays of the birds around here. That robin dustup is one I haven't seen, although we have plenty of robins. I'll start watching them more carefully. Thanks for the great shots, as usual!!

Anonymous said...

I love how naturally noisy spring is, I've yet to distinguish any calls except for the cardinals. I'll keep my ears open next time I see a blackbird. The gull with the black tip wings is my favorite shot :)

TexWisGirl said...

you're definitely seeing a lot of action, there! and catching some great shots! :)

Sueann said...

Beautiful pics and hoorah to all the males who won that day!!
Have a fabulous day dear friend.
Hugs'
SueAnn

Unknown said...

I love the birdies!!!
The turkeys are showing up at our house.
Love it!

Dianne said...

I got caught up in a "fly off" in my own backyard. I think they were using me as a barricade as they wildly flew at each other and then diverted at the last moment. I couldn't decide where to go while Hope stood a few feet away laughing and asking me how I was doing it.
She thinks I control the birds, how about that :)

I love the first shot - he has quite a grip on the metal

Happy Spring to all

CiCi said...

Each time I browse through your photos, I have to go through just one more time. And study them. It makes me wonder how close my little camera could come to getting wonderful photos like the ones you always take.

Frank Baron said...

Very nice avian collection. The cockfight between robins was particularly nifty. Good stuff. :)

Gillian Olson said...

Great bird pictures, the ducks and robins especially. The first one of the red-winged balckbird is stunning; a male not a female I think.

messymimi said...

Gulls are beautiful, except when they are trying to steal the food right off of your plate (yes, i've had them try that).

Catching them fighting in flight was fabulous, thank you.

Glo said...

Good to see spring is flying your way. It's such an interesting time to watch the interaction of the birds as they start the mating and nesting process. Great still and actions shots from woman with camera :)

yaya said...

It very spring-like here. Your pics are amazing as always but I did laugh when I saw the robins fighting..at first I thought you might have caught them in "private" moment! Hahah! Congrats to the winner of that love spat!

Liz Mays said...

OH my goodness! These are truly wonderful, kind of a treasure to see those in stop motion.

Ruth Hiebert said...

These pictures are so gorgeous. in love all the action you have captured.

Red said...

Really like your mallard pictures as they fly on the water. Our crows came two days ago. We still don't have seagulls but they'll be here any minute.

Dave said...

We love to hear the blackbirds singing in Spring too Hilary. I think they have a joyful song and I don't hear them repeat a song after they sing it about four times. - Dave

ellen abbott said...

all the birds are having territorial issues. and what is the territory you might ask? girls.

sage said...

Great photos--I haven't seen a redwing blackbird yet, but told they're around.

Sandi McBride said...

Our Robins arrived early last week and our Red Winged Blackbirds are much a no show at the feeders...take good care of them and send them back to us when the weather turns cold
hugs
Sandi

Leah J. Utas said...

Thank you for these wonderful bird pictures. We don't have any singing yet. I can't wait.

christopher said...

The birds certainly mark Spring with a flurry of activity.

And love the face-off.

Elizabeth Grimes said...

Oh! Wonderful action shots of the mallards and robins! Spring is in the air! :)

Daryl said...

My weekend walk was for the birds ... and if you've likely never played Angry Birds but there's a bird (actually 2) that look just like those two robins .. you hurl them and then fly beak over tail across the screen ...

Friko said...

If your robins are anything like the European robin I can tell you that they fight to the death (literally) for territory. They are just gorgeous little creatures, their song is liquid gold, yet they are totally bloodthirsty.

Gorgeous photos.

lime said...

truly, i am always amazed by the photos you capture of birds in flight, this time even in fight!

much as the birds are a wonderful sign of spring the one that cheers me most is the evening song of the spring peepers (tree frogs) in our area.

Country Girl said...

Those are fantastic shots of the birds in flight, Hilary. Wow!

Jodi Lobozzo Aman said...

I think the robins were mating, don't you? I love the shot of the duck going into the water, awesome!

Barbara said...

Wow, so much for peaceful spring! Great shots! I captured some red-winged blackbirds this past weekend, too!

Joanna Jenkins said...

Very fun Spring post, Hilary. And that gull-- So gorgeous and graceful.
xo jj

tattytiara said...

Woman! Criminy! Your shots are so much eye candy my pupils are almost too fat to fit inside my eye lids now. I do so adore shots of birds in flight, and especially shots of something other than the classic majestic soaring and/or sweet fluttering. You've captured the mechanics of flight, and that's truly something special. Those gulls looking all the world like lens clouds - that's a posture I've never seen captured before. Brilliant. Loved it. All of it. And me too - I get so giddy when the red winged black birds come back. We've seen our first geese now, so let the countdown begin!

Suldog said...

Glad to find someone else who enjoys gulls. Some folk around these parts consider them the equivalent of winged rats, but I've always thought they were graceful.

Slamdunk said...

Thanks for the aerial show Hilary.

We have been spoiled with early warm weather here--I hope the surprise frost does not spoil things.

photowannabe said...

Love your life captures Hilary. the action shots are supurb. The birds around here are going at it full tilt too. Mourning Doves want to build a nest over our front door eves, and a pair of sparrows want their nest in our patio eves as well. Its funny, every yer they try to nest in the same spots but never complete the nests.
Love Spring and love your pictures.

Bob Bushell said...

Brilliant birds flying photos, thanks Hilary.

Jocelyn said...

Is it too late for you to change the name of your blog to "Robin Squabble"? Those pix are terrific--so fun to look at the birds reclaiming their space!

SandyCarlson said...

Amazing action shots! Hilary, you are amazing. I would love to be able to watch you at work to learn a thing or two. Those birds making a getaway are astounding.

Reena said...

Love all your birds in flight. There is lots of fighting going on as well in my backyard ... most of it is over placement at the bird feeder!

Jayne said...

Today was just sparkling with spring effervescence. Ok, so maybe I'm not missing winter too much any longer. The ducks are funny. I'm always amazed by the moments you capture, Hilary. You must be SO patient. :)

Reb said...

Spring is sprung,
The grass is riz,
I wonder where the birdies is,
Here comes one,
Flying high,
Dropped a turd,
Right in my eye,
Aren't you glad,
That cows can't fly?

Lovely collection of photos Hilary.

Hilary said...

Thanks for the kind comments, everyone. They're so appreciated. :)

Cheryl Kohan said...

How cool! I especially love that first photo of the gull in flight...you've captured it perfectly. I've been watching the birds from my kitchen window, too. I could stand there for hours.

Linda said...

Those are some amazing bird shots. I especially love the ducks whipping up the water.