The day had started out rainy but was clearing as we left Rutland to do some birding and scouting for photography locations. Riding along Bill shouts "what the heck is that ? it's black and white and has a blue bill" well that stopped the car pretty quick. A Lesser Scaup in a marsh just off Old Rt 4, a fairly uncommon bird for the location and time of year. Next stop as a "did you see that stop " which was a robinisque Kestrel #$&%(! ?. But did turn up about 70 swallows flying around the barn yard. A closer look revealed Tree, Barn and the surprise of the day Cliff Swallows.

We watched for about half hour as the swallows gathered nest building materials. The Cliff Swallows just pickup mud in their beaks and flew off with it. ( image bellow Cliff Swallow with beak full of mud)

The Barn Swallows however carried hay to the muddy tire tracks in the barn yard most of which had water in them after the rain, where they would wet the hay . ( tree swallow wetting piece of hay for nest. I think they do this to make the hay/grass soft to work with)

Then they would then added mud to the mixed load of nesting materials and fly off. This scene was repeated over and over again with some copulations throne in for good measure every now and then.

Ahhhh spring!

List from today:
Lesser Scaup 1 m
Canada Goose 6 1 with very new goslings
Mallard 7 all males
Northern Harrier 1 gray ghost
Cowbird 5
Kingbird 3
House Sparrow many
A Goldfinch 4
Redwing Black Bird 6
Common Grackle dozens
TV's 9
Broadwing Hawk 1
Redtailed Hawk 2 one with pray
Kestrel 1
Cliff Swallow 10+
Barn Swallow 30+
Tree Swallow 20+
NO Warblers today, that was a surprise. Latter on in the day I took a right off Rt 22a down a dirt road I'd never been on. Found 5 Red Admirals mineraling as I slowly drove along. Also found in same general area Cabbage Whites, Clouded Sulphur, Red Admirals

and a Canadian Swallowtail plus two West Virginia Whites. There was one that would not hold still long enough to ID. I thought it could have been a Juvenal's Duskywing. We'll see what I find when to go back tomorrow to spend more time looking around. There was also many dragonflies and damselflies moving in the warm afternoon air.
Thanks for visiting BFO's
Peter Manship
All photos and story © 2010 Peter Manship
30 comments:
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我愛那些使自己的德行成為自己的目標或命定的人........................................
Nice, the second photo is of a Barn Swallow though.
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原來天鵝嫁給癩蛤蟆就會生出醜小鴨.................................................................
在莫非定律中有項笨蛋定律:「一個組織中的笨蛋,恆大於等於三分之二。」......................................................................
生存乃是不斷地在內心與靈魂交戰;寫作是坐著審判自己。......................................................................
人不能像動物一樣活著,而應該追求知識和美德............................................................
人有兩眼一舌,是為了觀察倍於說話的緣故。............................................................
人有兩眼一舌,是為了觀察倍於說話的緣故。............................................................
Prevention is better than cure.............................................................
開心不開心都是一天,祝您能夠笑著面對一切!............................................................
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獨居時,要反省自己的過錯;在社會大眾之間,則要忘卻別人的過失。..................................................
死亡是悲哀的,但活得不快樂更悲哀。. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
時時關心,時時感動。..................................................
所有的資產,在不被諒解時,都成了負債..................................................................
認清問題就等於已經解決了一半的問題。............................................................
Make hay while the sun shines...................................................
我愛那些使自己的德行成為自己的目標或命定的人................................................
噴泉的高度,不會超過它的源頭。一個人的事業也是如此,它的成就絕不會超過自己的信念。......................................... ........................
時間就是靈魂的生命。................. ................................................
成熟,就是有能力適應生活中的模糊。.. ... ............................................................
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