This is a collection of March pictures that lacked a posting of their own. Spring migrants arrive in March, although this year, their arrival was delayed by snows so most migrants appeared later in the month.
A few weren’t migrants. Although Bald Eagles are with us year-round, they do breed here. Yet, being near the northern boundary of residency we also get many eagles passing through. A picture of one that could have been included with with an earlier posting is of an adult diving from a tree.
Even those who aren’t migrants change their habits come Spring. Only once before have I managed to get a picture of this brief springtime activity. This tree squirrel is collecting dried grass to line its nest to provide a soft bed for its forthcoming babies.
Some of the differences are remarkably subtle. This is a female Ruffed Grouse. She doesn’t migrate and she looks much the same year round. But look at the thin whitish line on the upper edge of her eye. On females this white is thin to nonexistent. This is distinguished from the male (posted earlier in the month) and included next.
On the male the upper edge of the eye has a thick whitish line. Of course in this shot, he is also displaying his ruff, but that is a momentary display.
But we do get many migrants. Two of my favourites are both bluebirds. The Mountain Bluebird is widespread from far south of us to far north.
The Western Bluebird is only barely here. It is distinguished by an orangish breast.
There are a number of swallows. This is the Violet-green Swallow.
We only have the Turkey Vulture from about 15th of March to 15th of October.
I think this is a Compton Tortoiseshell which is the first butterfly I have seen this year. It mates in the spring. The next day I saw a Morning Cloak, which is the expected first butterfly.
This is an unusual picture of a Red-tailed Hawk. Although it is from behind it is carrying a Columbian ground squirrel that it has just captured from a field. I have never seen it take a ground squirrel before; they have a rather good alert system. Imagine waking up from hibernation only to be captured by a hawk. Photo by Cynthia Fraser.
This is a Merlin, our second smallest falcon. While we might see them at almost any time of the year, they are more common during the migration period.
A dozen images is enough. Photo by Cynthia Fraser.
There are many others.
Decorative or functional?
Almost all sites that treat the Great Blue Heron give a passing reference to the plumes that extend from the back of the head. When mentioning them, one site explicitly says they are decorative.
Here is a picture of the Great Blue Heron that was taken in November and probably hatched that year. Consequently the dome of the head had not gone completely white and the upper mandible is blue. Nevertheless, the feather plumes have already grown down the back of the head.
This is yesterday’s heron. The adult’s white cap is visible and the upper mandible has become the breeding colour of yellow. The feather plumes extend further down the back of the neck. The question is: Are they functional or decorative? Certainly they look decorative, but then the bird is not flying.
This bird then flew off and the function of the plumes became evident. They provided a smooth flow of air from the head across the back. Recall, that the Great Blue Heron flies with its neck tucked against its back. Not every large bird has such a flexible neck. The crane must fly with its neck extended. Now, look at the plumes coming off the back of the head. The air flows smoothly from the head and along the back making it one continuous surface and thus minimizes drag. The plumes are not decorative, they are functional.
