April, May and early June are very exciting times of the year!
Every single day brings something new.
Green shoots start appearing - and a few brave blossoms push through the snow.
Wooded areas are suddenly full of wildflowers.
Year-round birds are suddenly interested in courtship, and migratory birds return to Vermont to choose and defend breeding territories. The first to return are usually male Red-Winged Blackbirds.
They like damp places and often choose cattail swamps for their nests.
Female Red-winged Blackbirds arrive two or three weeks after the males. These birds aren't black birds and don't have red wings. Their colors are designed for camouflage while they're nesting.
They are followed by Common Grackles and then Brown-headed Cowbirds.
And then the floodgates start opening!
Some birds just pass through, on their way to breeding grounds farther north - like White-crowned Sparrows and Fox Sparrows.
Other birds arrive ready to court and mate and nest and raise young.
 |
| Song Sparrow |
 |
| Eastern Phoebe |
 |
| House Wren |
 |
| Wilson's Snipe |
 |
| American Woodcock |
And that's only March and April! Stay tuned for May!
No comments:
Post a Comment