We’ll be staying at two different places while in Pennsylvania. Our first stop was mainly to do laundry and get the oil changed in the truck. Some things take a little more planning when you live in an RV!
Can you guess what bird this is?
Answer at the end.
We spent a day at the Erie National Wildlife Refuge. When we first got there we went into the Visitor Center to get a bird list and park map. We spoke for quite a while with the Volunteer there. It’s a lot of fun to talk to other volunteers and find out where they have been and what places they liked the best.
We hiked and drove on the driving tour through the Sugar Lake Division, which is 5,206 acres. This area attracts over 237 species of birds, 47 species of mammals and 37 species of amphibians and reptiles.
Woodchuck, aka Groundhog (Marmota monax)
These cute little guys are really hard to get a picture of. Once they see you they dive into their burrow as fast as they can.
The primary objective of the refuge is to provide waterfowl and other migratory birds with nesting, feeding, brooding, and resting habitat
Hooded Merganser - Male
Hooded Merganser - Female
Yellow Warbler
Red-winged Blackbird
White-crowned Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Spring is just now arriving to this part of the country and the trees are just now starting to leaf out. We’re seeing lots of pretty wildflowers and butterflies.
Mourning Cloak
Red Trillium
Answer to the quiz:
Black-capped Chickadee (Parus atricapillus)
Often hangs upside down to reach underside of branches for insects.
Mark, your bird pics are getting better and better. Are you doing something different with that lens. Good eye shine.
ReplyDeleteLove the photos from PA. Have you seen any burrowing owls? Don't they sometimes share locations with groundhogs?
ReplyDeleteHi Rick - Mark dropped his camera on a concrete slab recently. Yikes! His brand new lens seems to have some problems but is still working. When we get to Maine he will send it off to be fixed. I think he is getting such great pictures because the birds are closer and we’re birding a lot so he is getting many opportunities to take lots of pictures.
ReplyDeleteHi Sharon - We’ve seen Screech Owls, Barn Owls and have heard Barred Owls. There aren’t a lot of owls up here. I think Burrowing Owls live in Prairie Dog holes and they are pretty much in the Western US. Hopefully we’ll see Long and Short-eared Owls and possibly the Northern Saw-whet Owl up in Maine. We’ll try to have a few staked out for ya’ll to see!
ReplyDelete