This Wednesday after work it was warm and sunny and I was itching to go back to my "natural blind" to try for some more Bluebird photos. So I parked on the west side for a change and hiked directly to the area on the west end of the park where I'd been the seeing Bluebirds so often this year. This in itself is interesting to note; last year I'd seen a few here and there in early spring but then they got pretty scarce afterward. This year I've spotted them numerous times -darn near every visit since the beginning of April.
If I had to guess, I'd say that I've spotted them close to 30 times or more this season -and not always in the same area of the park. I didn't have to wait in my blind for very long before a female showed up at the top of the same dead tree that they favor. The male showed up shortly afterward and perched in the same tree making for a neat shot. While I was taking photos I could hear another Bluebird that seemed to be much closer and when I strained my head straight up there was a third one only a few feet over my head! I tried to get my camera into this odd position but I wasn't quick enough. Afterwards I kept heading north though I really didn't intend to walk all the way around the park tonight. Instead I decided to really "off-road it" and followed a well used Deer trail out into the open areas along the banks of Shingle Creek.
Right as I was coming up to the last stand of trees before it really opens up, I spotted a very light colored, almost white bird and thought "what the heck is that?" I didn't even have to use my binoculars as I realized from how it was perched that it was a Northern Shrike! I could hardly believe it! It had been at least a month since the last time I'd seen this "winter bird" and I'd assumed they were
long gone by now. I just went back now to double check my last posting and my last sighting of a Shrike was on March 4th. This was quite a find, especially having just watched Bluebirds only 30 minutes ago. In fact, as I was trying to get closer to the Shrike, I spotted another Bluebird. In the tree to my right was a Bluebird and in the tree to the left was a Shrike! The only thing better would have been to see them in the same tree. Eventually I got close enough to scare off the Shrike and I double checked my camera right then and there to make sure I'd gotten a useable photo, since it was so out-of-season.
I continued to wander around a bit further out along the creek and spotted some more Tree Swallows as well as a few Great Blue Herons. It was really getting dark now as this Great Blue Heron came in to roost in a short tree on the other side of the creek. He might have been coming in to stay the night.
If I had to guess, I'd say that I've spotted them close to 30 times or more this season -and not always in the same area of the park. I didn't have to wait in my blind for very long before a female showed up at the top of the same dead tree that they favor. The male showed up shortly afterward and perched in the same tree making for a neat shot. While I was taking photos I could hear another Bluebird that seemed to be much closer and when I strained my head straight up there was a third one only a few feet over my head! I tried to get my camera into this odd position but I wasn't quick enough. Afterwards I kept heading north though I really didn't intend to walk all the way around the park tonight. Instead I decided to really "off-road it" and followed a well used Deer trail out into the open areas along the banks of Shingle Creek. 
Right as I was coming up to the last stand of trees before it really opens up, I spotted a very light colored, almost white bird and thought "what the heck is that?" I didn't even have to use my binoculars as I realized from how it was perched that it was a Northern Shrike! I could hardly believe it! It had been at least a month since the last time I'd seen this "winter bird" and I'd assumed they were long gone by now. I just went back now to double check my last posting and my last sighting of a Shrike was on March 4th. This was quite a find, especially having just watched Bluebirds only 30 minutes ago. In fact, as I was trying to get closer to the Shrike, I spotted another Bluebird. In the tree to my right was a Bluebird and in the tree to the left was a Shrike! The only thing better would have been to see them in the same tree. Eventually I got close enough to scare off the Shrike and I double checked my camera right then and there to make sure I'd gotten a useable photo, since it was so out-of-season. 
I continued to wander around a bit further out along the creek and spotted some more Tree Swallows as well as a few Great Blue Herons. It was really getting dark now as this Great Blue Heron came in to roost in a short tree on the other side of the creek. He might have been coming in to stay the night.
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