Juncos!

I always look forward to April as it's a time when the winter-gripped world comes back to life. This year it was almost like the flick of a switch; on April 1st as I patrolled the neighborhood I recorded 8 FOYs! 'Twas a remarkable day. The photos featured in this post were taken on April 13. I went out intent on finding a large gathering of raptors (including Bald Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks, and Turkey Vultures) which was reported to me by a friend and supported with video evidence. When I got to the location, however, I found an empty field. Only one raptor in sight; a single Bald Eagle.

Adult Bald Eagle in flight

Determined to make my time worth it I decided to bird up and down the road a little bit. As is classic for that time of year, I recorded over 200 Juncos throughout the day. Some of them provided me with opportunities for some interesting shots.

This female chose a perch right near the water's edge. Water is always a neat backdrop.

Female Dark-eyed Junco

Female Dark-eyed Junco

This individual perched in the edge of a tree; the grey sky provides a neat contrast with the silhouette of the bird.

Dark-eyed Junco

This Junco was foraging in the brush. I'm just thankful my camera managed to focus on the little guy instead of all the other branches around (a pretty common problem experienced while shooting photos of birds through foliage)

Male Dark-eyed Junco

Another neat find (and one of the FOYs of that day) was a male American Tree Sparrow who sang for me while foraging in a tree just a few meters from where I stood. They have the sweetest little songs which I never tire of hearing. These birds are a sign of both spring and fall in southern Manitoba, passing through as the last snow falls and as the first fall flurries begin.

Male American Tree Sparrow

Male American Tree Sparrow

If you're extremely bored or simply like challenges, here is a photo I took of the same sparrow. He flew off of a branch and I could not see exactly where he went but took some photos of the general area he landed. It may be frustrating, and you may not believe me, but he is in fact in there somewhere.

American Tree Sparrow using his camouflage

It's amazing how well some animals just disappear into their surroundings. If you need a hint, he is near the center of the photo.

Just for fun here are some Rock Pigeons that I found (wasn't all to hard... there's a lot of them around).

Rock Pigeons

Hope you enjoyed this post! Feel free to check out my Bird Log to find out which other FOYs I recorded on this day (links to the eBird checklist(s) are provided).