While some of you are enjoying roses and rhododendrons, or harvesting your first tomatoes and zucchini, we’re finally seeing buds on our tree branches that were still bare just a few weeks ago.
Here are some photos of what you can see within our budding grove. Probably the most common and easiest to photograph are the Robins. They like to pose and they are not too camera shy:
For a few days I was trying hard to shoot the elusive Ruby-crowned Kinglet, for their calls are clear and distinct. Lured by their songs, I walked into a thicket of bushes and trees and lost my direction for a while in the forest. Love’s labour’s not lost. Here are some of the fruits of my venture off the beaten track. You can see two tiny dots of red on the crown of this one:
But trust me, I saw one flash out in red at the crown flapping his wings frantically from a short distance, but only for just a second. I didn’t even have time to lift my camera and it flew away.
Here’s another Ruby-crowned Kinglet. I must say the budding leaves are more appealing here.
Where do you see the Canada Goose nesting? Inside tree trunk cavities. Here’s one:
On a nearby trunk, the Northern Flicker tapping away, with calls you can hear from a distance:
Have you heard of the Happy Wren? Here he is, probably the happiest bird around at 8 a.m. He was on that branch for half an hour chirping away, loud and clear:
Remember the Great Horned Owlet? He’s grown quite a bit. Here’s a recent photo:
Don’t recognize him? Here’s looking at you kid:
Within the budding grove, birds come and go. Another spring, another generation. This owlet will soon fly away when spring comes to an end. But those eyes I won’t soon forget.
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ALL PHOTOS TAKEN BY ARTI OF RIPPLE EFFECTS
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Ripple Effects 
Amazing captures. I loved all of them.
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Thanks Diane for stopping by.
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Beautiful spring green colours – a running theme!
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Denise,
Yes, spring finally for us.
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I love nature photos. And birds….Beautiful captures…
Here is my SNAPSHOT POST
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Gautami,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving the link to your post.
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I’m astonished by the goose in the tree trunk. I’m not sure where I thought they nested, but that certainly isn’t it! It’s nice that you have wrens around, too. They do have the best song, and when I’m in wooded areas, I love listening to them. When I still was going up to the cabin in Kerrville, they used to nest in anything hanging, like plants, or watering cans, or water pails….
Truly, I like the first photo of the ruby-crowned kinglet the best. It’s just beautiful, tucked into those branches.
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Linda,
Yes, I had a post just on these Canada Geese nesting in tree cavities, that’s from last Spring. Here it is. Do go there and check out the photos, quite a scene with Geese beating out one another for nesting sites in the hollows of trees. Yes, I love the song of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. That’s why I got lost (and it was quite scary).
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So fabulous Arti. I am always so taken by owls. The Northern Flicker is great!
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Ellen,
I just found out that the Great Horned Owl is our Provincial Bird. 😉
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Outstanding photos! Thanks so much for sharing them!
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Sharon,
Thanks for stopping by the pond. Glad you’ve enjoyed the photos. It’s my pleasure seeking the birds out and capturing them in picture. 😉
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What beautiful images, all of them and what a treat to witness, such a celebration of Spring.
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Claire,
Indeed, a celebration of Spring. Thanks for your comment! 😉
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In my suburban neighborhood, the Northern Flickers have been shy and elusive. This year, though, I’ve been hearing them much more than I ever have. And even saw one at a strip mall in one of those tiny islands of landscaping plus small tree you find in large parking lots. I’m wondering if their numbers are on the rise here and all the calling I hear is them jockeying for territory. Something to investigate.
Thank you for the wonderful bird photos! Such a neat variety.
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Nancy,
The Northern Flickers are common in my neck of the woods, and they are mostly found in woods and forests… not in strip malls. 😉 We have lots of natural areas in our city, and i can hear their calls from afar in the woods. They are not too elusive, much easier to capture than the Kinglets. If you like, here is another birding post on the Northern Flicker, and here. You can see more Northern Flickers in action.
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I know, I was stunned to see one clinging to the base of a tree in a parking lot! Thanks for the links – amazing! Love the orangey underside of their wings. Never saw that before.
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Stunners! I think I love the little wren best 🙂
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linnetmoss,
Yes, isn’t he a cutie? He does have an effervescent voice… so early in the morning too.
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Wow, gorgeous photos! I especially like the owl. And I had no idea geese nested that way!
Sue
Book By Book
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Sue,
Thanks. I just found out not too long ago that the Great Horned Owl is our official Provincial Bird. (Alberta, Canada) 😉
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The Northern Flicker looks quite a bit like a bird we’ve been seeing in our yard. I wonder if that is what it is that has been visiting us!
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Melinda,
Check the links to my previous posts on the NF in my reply to Nancy Faerber’s comment above. You can see more clearly what they look like and the colour of the wings while flying. They are very common here, and beautiful to see as they spread their orange underwings.
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Wonderful photographs. I like the goose up a tree.
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Ginny,
Check my reply to shoreacres’s comment above. I’ve left a link to a previous post where you can see more pics of Canada Geese nesting and guarding their nests in tree trunks. Thanks for stopping by. 😉
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The kinglet is a pretty little bird! Getting lost for a bit was very rewarding! The owl is growing so fast! As I was out biking over the weekend I saw quite a few birds and thought of you. We have lots of fluffy baby geese at the moment and a big gander by the bike trail hissed furiously at me as I quickly rode by. I was seriously worried he might come after me!
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Stefanie,
It’s feels good to have people thinking of me while biking, and not blogging. 😉 I can imagine that big gander flew by you, knowing how they ignore right of way. I nearly got hit by one too. But yes, I sure have pictures of tiny goslings. Maybe will post them next time.
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Kudos to both you and your lens! What wonderful birds — many I have never seen. Sometimes getting lost is just the thing! And your owlets aren’t going to be “lets” for long!
We returned from the north and the leaves are still coming out — at first I thought the trees might be diseased, but I think they are just slower, due to the cold spring. Not quite as new as yours — but close!
What a wonderous walk!
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Jeanie,
I admit I’m not the adventurous type. Getting lost in the thickets of deep woods is scary. As for the Owl family, the last time I check two days ago they were gone. Another year, another generation. Have to wait till next Spring to see them come back again. I suppose your climate is a little bit like ours, late spring. Hope to see some of your travel photos. 😉
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Isn’t it amazing? I just got back from the mountains in New Mexico. We actually had snow the first night. In the ensuing days we saw all kinds of birds, including hummingbirds. I’ve never seen so many deer, even a coyote. The breaking of the drought has transformed things. So glad to see Spring has been so beautiful for you this year!
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Glad to know you’ve had a wonderful trip. Will we be seeing some photos on your blog? I see deer often, even coyotes a couple of times. But I admit I’ve never seen a hummingbird in my neck of the woods.
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I was so exhausted from two months of constant severe weather here, I didn’t pack the good camera for taking bird shots. New Mexico is teeming with hummingbirds in the good weather. We had three at the feeder most of the time. As soon as I stuck my head out the door the first moments at the cabin we stay at every year, the hummingbirds came as if waiting for me to get their feeder out! In the peak of summer, there can be over half a dozen fighting over it. I’ll see if the phone camera got me anything….
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Wonderful pictures yet again Arti. I do love them all, but the one of the nesting goose is particularly splendid- it has very strong lines. And that owlet how gorgeous he is, it’s so wonderful to watch the youngsters come on.
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Louise,
If you’d like to see more pics of the Canada Geese nesting on trees, here’s a previous post from last Spring. You can see more there. And yes, the owlets are becoming formidable. They are long gone now, the whole owl family.
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