Today's weather: Scattered flurries of snow (geese, that is!)......

We made our first trip over to Henderson Slough in Kentucky to see the migrating geese yesterday. I get so excited every year about these geese! We weren't disappointed. It was a great day....not too cold, and clear and sunny.
When we got there the largest mass was sitting in this open field, really easy to see. I took this distant shot to show how far away they are and the size of the flock. There happens to be an elevated viewing stand right by that field, so we scurried up to the top to watch them.

This shot was taken later.....I didn't notice until I got home the bird up in the tree! It has to be an eagle. Too big for anything else. Every year we have been there, we have seen an eagle to two hanging around.

Right after we arrived they took to the air en masse. I don't know how they keep from running into each other! It's an amazing sight watching them lift off and fill the sky. They seem to know where the hunting boundaries are and just flew in a fairly tight circle and landed back in the same field.

Wow....that's a lot of Snow Geese!

Here they are coming back down.

I don't know how they pick out their spot and squeeze into it.

Later on while we were checking some other areas, they left that field and settled in one of the corn fields. the corn is left in sections and the field is flooded to make a nice place for them. They sit way down at the end of the rows....away from the road....so this shot is cropped a lot. There are ducks near the front, but I can't tell what kind....usually a bunch of Mallards.

There are also White-fronted Geese in the mix and this year there didn't seem to be as many and they stayed sort of by themselves at one end or near the back. Probably some Canada Geese there, too.

I cropped this shot of the air because I like the depth of the geese in it.

I cropped this for a better view of the geese. The Snow Geese come in two phases....white and dark. The dark adults have white heads. Mixed in also are the juveniles of both the dark and whites.

Another cropped shot.

On the other side of the road they have flooded an entire field with water. It is frozen at the moment and there were about six swans walking around on the ice or lying there. They always keep separate from the geese. I'm guessing Tundra Swans, but I can't really tell.

A couple preening.

A pair of Mallards wanted to join them.

I took a short video of them in the air.

I can't wait to go back over and check on them again next week sometime. They will hang around for several months if we are lucky.

Recent visitors......

The cold weather is keeping the birds very busy at the feeders.A little Chickadee on the pole.
Easier to get a seed from the rim.
"I think the Blue Jay has been eating my peanuts!"

" But there are a few left!"

(Don't worry Titmouse! I put out more just for you!)

For once the Song Sparrow looked up and held still for a couple of seconds!

The little Carolina Wren hopping around on the ground by the fountain.

Looks a little snooty from this view.

Better from the side.

I was standing in the open garage doorway watching a Titmouse when this guy flew in and landed in front of me on the maple tree. A lot of branches in the way, but I did get a couple of quick shots.

I assume this is the same Cooper's hawk that has been watching my birds all summer. It seems to think that I am "setting the table" for his meal!

The peanut thief......

I've been putting out some peanuts for the Titmouse and Chickadees, but yesterday the Blue Jays discovered them. I spent about an hour watching the Jays stealing peanuts!

"Do I look like a thief???"

"Hee hee hee......fooled her."

World Bird Wednesday......

It's World Bird Wednesday. I had a good week for special birds....Whooping Cranes and Cedar Waxwings....but I already posted them :-) So these are my latest birds."I DON'T LIKE THIS WEATHER!"

Poor Robin....spring is a long way off!

The Robins have been helping the Waxwings with the crab apples.

And yesterday I noticed two of the Cardinals in the crab apple tree. Talk about good camouflage.....hide a red bird in the red berries!

They don't show as much interest in them as the Waxwings, but I guess they must eat some of them too.

I put sunflower seeds on this feeder behind the corn for the squirrel....but the Cardinal likes this spot, too.

........and the swinging feeder.

I didn't get any new Waxwing shots that were any better than the previous post even though I had some sunshine this time. Still lots of apples out there, so I'll keep trying!

For more World Bird Wednesday posts click on the icon at the top of this post.

The Waxwings have arrived!......

Saturday the Waxwings finally showed up to start stripping the fruit from the crab apple tree.

I'm always very excited about their arrival since I only see them maybe twice a year. It was a dreary day and I had to lighten these a lot to get any color in the birds at all. I'm hoping we get some sunshine before they eat all the apples and I might get some better photos. My best shot. It is fun to watch them eat. They just gobble those little crab apples up whole. My neighbor has a tree, too so I get to watch them work on both trees.
They aren't very spooked by humans, and let me sit or stand fairly close to the tree if I'm very quiet.

"This looks like a good one!"

I didn't count them, but would say the flock is about 8-10 birds.

5 in this shot.

A trio

This pair was in one of the best spots. My camera has a terrible time with all the little twigs and busyness of the tree......takes me forever to get a focus on the birds.

The yellow tail tip is the easiest thing to see and the black face mask.

I like this shot even if it is light :-)

The only shot I have showing the red bit on the wing that gives them their "wax" name. It is actually a concentration of pigment from their fruit diet. (Sibleys)

There are some robins sharing the fruit with them, so I hope it lasts until Tuesday when we may have some sunshine.