I love their bugling calls - sounds prehistoric to me!

This is great, Rob, congratulations! Good to see you last evening.

A dozen sandhill cranes flying from left to right, with a gray overcast sky behind them. Photo taken looking almost directly up

A dozen sandhill cranes flying from left to right, with a gray overcast sky behind them. Photo taken with them further away, so more of a profile view of these magnificent birds

I love spring migration! On Sunday while in our backyard I heard the distinctive bugling of Sandhill Cranes. There were a dozen, circling around and around, rising higher with every turn by riding the thermals. #birds #birding #Bobsbackyard #Ancaster #HamOnt

Thanks Gwen!

Couldn't agree more - love witnessing animals living their lives, not just posing for portraits!

A red morph screech owl sitting in his hidey hole, with its head turned sideways, and one foot up in the air

An Eastern Screech-owl having a good scratch. #birds #birding #owls

Small world! I'm in Ancaster quite close to Merrick.

Interesting but if it wasn't the right habitat I'd be skeptical. Merlin is great but not infallible! It often IDs Carolina Wrens as Tufted Titmice. Starlings are good mimics and can confuse it.

These were at Merrick Orchard. Maybe the same pair?!

Male Eastern bluebird perched in a bare tree, in profile view looking to the left towards a housing box where his mate is. The background is blurred out gray, making the blue colour of the bird appear vivid.

Female Eastern Bluebird perched on top of a housing box, in profile view looking to the right where her mate is watching from a tree

I was delighted to see this pair of Eastern Bluebirds setting up shop at a nesting box in my local patch. Most years they lose out to tree swallows or house sparrows. She was perched on top of the nesting box, while he watched diligently from a nearby tree. #birds #birding #Ancaster #HamOnt

Thanks - those herons look "sinister" to me, the way they hunch over such that you wouldn't know that they do have a heron-like neck

Loshi stretched out on his window perch, his head towards me and looking at me with half opened eyes. You can see buds coming on the trees out the window. Loshi is all gray with green eyes.

Sleepy Loshi soaking up the sun on his window perch, resting up for #Caturday. As if every day wasn't Loshi's day!

A white-throated sparrow perched in a dogwood which has reddish colored bark. The backdrop is blurred out reddish-gray. It is looking downwards to the left, sporting very bright, fresh looking plumage.

A White-throated Sparrow with very crisp markings. #birds #birding

What a colour! Great capture Lori.

Thanks!

A red-tailed hawk perched in a bare tree with blue sky behind it. It has turned to get ready to spring into action

Red-tailed hawk now leaning forward, with launch sequence activated

Red-tailed hawk now really leaning forward, to the right, about to lift off

And we have lift off as the red-tailed hawk springs off the branch, its legs extended out behind it as it flies to the right

A sequence of photos capturing the launch activation of a Red-tailed Hawk. #birds #birding #Ancaster #HamOnt

Thanks!

A black-crowned night heron perched on a mossy green colored tree, hunched over and looking downwards to the left. His upper parts are a steely blue-gray, and his lower parts white. He has red eyes.

A common loon in profile view, swimming in calm waters towards the right.

An osprey sitting on his nesting platform, looking off to the right.

In addition to the Northern House Wren, yesterday I saw three more first of year birds - A Black-crowned Night Heron, a Common Loon, and an Osprey. First time seeing a loon within my 5MR! #birds #birding #Ancaster #HamOnt

🤣Sounds about right - small but a BIG attitude!

I forgot that it is now officially called Northern House Wren!

A house wren perched on the nesting box roof, looking right towards the entrance hole

A house wren perched at the entrance hole, looking into it

The tail end of the house wren is all that is hanging out of the entrance hole after he went in to check it out

Build it and they will come! I put my wren nesting box out just yesterday, and it was thoroughly inspected by a House Wren this afternoon. Their median return date is April 25th so this was a pleasant surprise. #birds #birding #Ancaster #HamOnt #Bobsbackyard

A Savannah Sparrow perched in a bare tree, in profile view looking to the left, showing the yellow stripe above its eye. It looks a bit disheveled from all the rainstorms. The sky behind it is gray.

Another day of off and on thunder storms and pouring rain. In between I got another first of the year bird, a Savannah Sparrow. #birds #birding #Ancaster #HamOnt

Fantastic image!

Thanks Rob! I really liked when I got lucky to catch them positioned like bookends!

A pair of Greater Yellowlegs, in profile view, standing back to back, with the one on the left facing to the left, and the one on the right to the right. They are on the rock shore of a stormwater retention pond

In this shot, the two Great Yellowlegs are standing together, in profile view with both looking to the right

A brown swallow, with a white throat patch, perched on a wire fence. Its back is to me, and it is looking to the left. The background is totally blurred, grayish-brown.

Yesterday, between rainstorms, I scored two more first of year birds - a pair of Greater Yellowlegs, and a Northern Rough-winged Swallow. #birds #birding #Ancaster #HamOnt

thanks! Like trying to photograph popcorn popping!

They are sure consistent in the habitat that the prefer - at least here, they are along rural farm roads that are lined with large mature deciduous trees. A corn field abutting a road with a row of large trees is prime territory.

They aren't that common here. Very pretty bird!

Thanks Rob!

A field sparrow in profile view, looking to the left, on a lichen covered branch with a blurry brown background. They are distinctive with their bright bubblegum pink beaks and white eyering.

A ruby-crowned kinglet perched in some brambles, facing me, with his red crown showing.

A vesper sparrow perched up in a tree, in profile view looking to the left. Tje sky behind the tree is blue. It has a white eyering and a cinnamon colured patch right before its wing.

Several more first of the year birds in the last two days - Field Sparrow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and Vesper Sparrow. Migration is such a great time of year! #birds #birding #Ancaster #HamOnt