Getting an early start on an adventure usually means you will see things that only happen in the morning. Like giant breakfast buffets.
And cattle arranging themselves evenly at the edge of a pond.
And, buffleheads very near the shore. Well, they probably are near the shore at any time of day. What do I know about buffleheads anyway?
For my 70th birthday, a trip to the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory was in order. No sooner did we get out of the car when we saw these beauties. Hepaticas. Look at all of those beautiful stamens reaching towards the sun.
Springtime colours were to be seen all through the wetlands. I love the reds and yellows of the dogwoods. Colour is coming back.
And willows are beginning to brighten up their little corners.
Lake Ontario was displaying quite a few blues, darker near the shore and more turquoise further out. We walked until we could go no further.
My first Blanding's Turtle siting. These beauties are in the threatened category, sadly. I am so glad that future-minded folks set aside places like the bird observatory so wild life could have a fighting chance at survival. You can identify it by the yellow throat.
Back at the Bird Observatory, we observed some birds - in bags. This staff was inside their little banding building hanging up bags of birds. They were caught in large nets and brought to be banded by a team of volunteers. Trained staff were banding and taking various measurements of each bird.
This tiny Ruby Crowned Kinglet looked a bit perturbed. Just flying to his summer breeding ground, minding his own business, and WHAM! A net!! Some of them get caught twice in a day. Talk about bad luck.
Banding happens between dawn and noon. Our stay at the bird observatory ended near noon, a great time to visit because the staff aren't too busy. The bulk of the birds are caught in the early morning hours. Staff had time to tell us about the birds they were banding and I even got to let one take off from my hand.
Peptbo's Spring Birding Festival will take place between May 12 and 15 this year. From what we heard, it is always a very busy time with photographers from far and wide taking part. They will even have special programming for kids. How lovely. Thousands of folks will have a memorable birding adventure. And, it might not even be their birthday!
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