Goose Pond.....

Some people celebrate Valentine's Day with a romantic dinner or flowers.....Mike took me to Goose Pond, near Linton, Indiana to look for water birds.  Perfect....I think he knows me very well after 43 years!  We did have a very nice lunch out on the way home and stopped at the Amish cheese store in Elnora :-)

 I was hoping to see cranes and we saw plenty!  However, my photos are pretty awful.  We saw at least 4 different large groups of the Sandhill Cranes in the tall grasses and along the water's edge....quite distant.  I was hoping we might find a few Whooping Cranes in the mix, but no such luck on this trip.  We did see them here once before.

 This was the largest group.  I would guess each group we saw had 40-50 cranes.

 A few taking off.

 Another group sticking up out of the grasses.

 There were lots of geese and ducks also, but my photos are so poor, I can't identify much.  I think I need to look at a new camera.  This one does fine for close stuff, but has gotten terrible for distant photos.  There were definitely Canada Geese, Greater-White Front Geese, Mallards, and I think I saw some Pintails in one photo.

 This was the first bird we saw!  An immature Eagle, I think.  Looked too big for a hawk.  Just sitting there on one of the little clumps in the water.

 We think these white blobs on the mounds are Pelicans!

 Pelicans and assorted geese and ducks.

I also saw my first Meadowlark of the year, and one Killdeer, and a pair of Harriers hunting over one of the fields.  A good birding day spent with my favorite Valentine!

*****

The Great Backyard Bird Count starts today!  Make a check list and send it in!  

So far today, I've seen in the yard:

Song Sparrow-2

Titmouse-2

Goldfinch-8

House Finch-4

Pine Siskin-4

House Sparrow-31

Junco-8

White Throated Sparrow-5

Cardinal-13

Cowbird-1

Dove-9

Chickadee-2

Downy-2

Blue Jay-1

Red-winged Blackbird-6

Mockingbird-1

Red-breasted Nuthatch-2

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker-1
Red-bellied Woodpecker-2
Hairy Woodpecker-1
Mallard Ducks-2

Starling-1

Robin-2

My final list for the day.

Canada Geese at the wetlands....

I went by the wetlands last Saturday and there was not much happening, but I did enjoy looking at the Canada Geese in the creek and the reflections they were making on the water.

 A goose chorus line

 coming out of the water

 This is the "chorus line" director coming by to check out the talent.

 "Keep your legs straight!"

 I think those two on the end don't belong in this group :-)

 A couple of fat Robins out enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.

I woke up this morning to wet snow covering everything.  Big difference from these shots!

Not the only ones watching.....

We drove to Henderson, KY yesterday to check on the geese and ducks and found we were not the only ones out "bird watching".

 Right across from the field where the geese were gathering, this Bald Eagle was doing his own observing.

Maybe hoping for a wounded goose to attack?  I would think a full size healthy one would be a challenge.  Mike took these because it was on his side of the road.  But it did pose nicely for us!

Another " bird watcher".......we saw at least 4 hawks.  This nice Red-tailed was my best photo.

This one shot through the windshield isn't such a good shot, but at least it didn't fly away :-)  I really try not to disturb the birds too much while taking photos.  I realize that the daily hunt for food is serious business for them.

 Out in the flooded field there were a mixture of ducks....but pretty far away.  Some of the water is frozen and some not.  Here we have a pair of Mallards on the left, a Gull and some Shovelers on the right.  I think that one that is third from the left might be a Green-winged Teal, but not sure.

 A lot of the Snow Geese are still there, but they chose a field with lots of trees and brush between me and them.  Hard to get photos and lots of annoying branches in the way.

 Another group of ducks

 The geese.....not as many as before, but still in the 1000's, I'm sure.

 One fairly clear shot!

 More of the Shovelers.

A more distant view of the geese.....large band in the back with stragglers near the road. 

The Greater White-fronted Geese were hanging out on the other side of the road.  Not a large flock, but several dozen scattered along this little water area.

We also saw a group of about 30-40 turkeys!  They were behind branches, too.  Couldn't get out of the car without spooking them.

I was hoping for migrating sandpipers and snipe and more ducks, but we might be a couple weeks too early.  Still pretty cold.  Maybe in March?

Tufted Titmouse....

One of my favorite birds.  

I love these little guys, but they flit in and out so quickly and switch back and forth between the various feeders, so keeping up with them is challenging.

 They always looks so happy.

 "Wow....I found a really big peanut!"

 "Got another one!"

"Peek-a-boo!" 

 "Hmmmm.....which feeder will I land on this time.  Whichever one she isn't pointing the camera at!  I can out-smart her any day!"

 "I want all of these peanuts before someone else finds them!"

 Resting.....they never seem to rest :-)

"Maybe I'll try that suet stuff next."

Northern Mockingbird.....

The Mockingbird....a.k.a. "Mr. Mean".  I don't know why I always say "mister"....it could be a female for all I know.  They look alike.  

This is his stare of intimidation :-)  Are you scared??  LOL

 Mockingbirds are very territorial.  I can drive around the countryside and city and see them fly across the road to their bush or tree that they are protecting.  Or just sitting on the wires nearby.  Easy to spot when flying because of their white wing patches and white on the tail.

 At our house our resident mockingbird flies back and forth between the bushes, the trees and the house and garage roofs to keep trying to chase the other birds away from "his" food source.

 He likes our suet in the winter and will fly down and chase smaller birds away.  I have so many feeders he must get tired of trying to protect them all and most of the birds ignore him.

 Up in the tree waiting to swoop on some bird that gets near his suet.

 Just flew in to chase someone away.  Unlike most of the birds he is not out there eating constantly.  He spends more time flying around then he seems to spend eating.

Time for a well-deserved bite of food. 

 Portrait

Resting 

Close-up 

 Wing intimidation or balance....not sure which :-)

"Well, it is MY feeder and you know it!"