Phoebes, Rabbits, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Oh My

Female Red-bellied Woodpecker

The vernal pools are overflowing. The sounds of spring peepers and other frogs are overwhelming. The buzz saw of red-wing blackbirds carving out territory is loud as can be. Palm Warblers are scratching in the leaves under bushes. Phoebes and Tree Swallows are everywhere. Spring has finally arrived.

Phoebe

Given the amount of snow and the size of vernal pools this year, I predict it will be a banner year for mosquitoes. I shall be one big mosquito bite by the end of June, I just know it (seeing as any insect repellant on the market stops working after 20 minutes if not sooner, I swear. See my note below in the midge incident in Scotland to see how fast midges adapt to repellent).

Male Tree Swallow shining as blue as the sky

Over the last week I've watched a pair of American kestrels hunting for voles. I've discovered purple finches hiding in the bushes by my neighbors house (though, why they never appear at my feeder, while their cousins the goldfinch are there all the time, I have no idea...). And I finally got a good shot of the female red-bellied woodpecker. Her mate is a frequent visitor to my suet feeder, but she is much more elusive. If I even look in her direction, while sitting on my couch looking out the window toward the feeder, she disappears. But she was feeling generous it seems and thus the shot above.

Cottontail sucking down the grass

There are other white whales of my photography ambitions. Like chickadees. They are ubiquitous around here. You'd think that photographing them would be easy. But no. They have thwarted all of my efforts of taking a clear photograph of them. As have their cousins the tufted titmouse. And we won't even talk about the red squirrels. They have been successfully avoiding having a clear picture taken of them for years....