Easter has passed by once again, and a chance to drive down by the river to see what I could see, bird-wise, brought me to a boat launch spot and a view across the river. A brisk cool wind wasn’t too encouraging for me to linger, and the usually calm waters were a little bit roiled, making a clear sighting of any water bound birds a little difficult. I wasn’t too sure as to what I might expect to see, but the white blobs across the river, when magnified with my telephoto lens, turned out to be very interesting. They were Common Mergansers, and not the Canadian Geese I was half expecting them to be. They were on the very far side of the river and quite difficult to track in the choppy waters and that, combined with the wind and dealing with a fully extended tele-photo lens without a steadying tripod, made getting decent pictures of them very uncertain. Trying to brace myself using a tree branch wasn’t very successful either, so I had to be satisfied with what I could get! Of course, by the time I had got myself settled, they had just about disappeared, having paddled further up the shoreline. Shucks!
Having looked around the hedgerows where I had parked to see if there were any other types of birds to be seen, and not finding any, I decided to head for home, taking the quiet country roads without too much traffic. My camera was still slung around my neck, ready for action if needed.
I had just cleared a small wooded area, and was about to pass by a field, when I picked up some movement. Wild Turkeys? I said to myself, and lo and behold there were two of them! My car window was already open, so, from a good vantage point, I was able to get a couple of shots of them before they disappeared.
I journeyed on and had to pass by where the impromptu pond created by the spring run-off was being used by the transiting Canada Geese. Having spent quite a bit of time there, as previously mentioned in an article, I did not dally for long! There was no sign of Turkey Vultures soaring above them, but the next day I actually counted six of them at once, very close-by to here, which was a pleasant surprise!
Our garden birds are still providing us with plenty to see, although we’ve had no “new-comers” appear to surprise us, so we just keep hoping. I hope you are doing the same and are enjoying what you are able to see. Stay safe and well.
Cheers,
John Baldwin
