Pine Siskin

This little Pine Siskin came to my deck looking for 

free handouts, but none were available.

Springtime and birdseed = bear visitors, so the seed buffet will be closed till fall.

Red Breasted Mergansers....

These Mergansers are such a beautiful pair.  I had to sneak up on them to capture this photo.

Someday I might invest in a bigger lens, but then again that might

spoil all the fun of trying to capture a photo.

I'm sure they were wondering why I was hiding behind a boat dock!!

The male was always between me and the female protecting her.  

The lake still had a lot of ice so flying away was not their best option.

These are beautiful diving ducks.  They feed on fish, (fry, minnows, herring)

and occasionally shrimp or crabs.  They usually dive for food, hunting on lakes and rivers,

in coastal bays and a sea.  These two were on Kenai Lake.

Alaskan Pussy Willows

Springtime always has me searching for pussy willows, especially

those that look like they could be part of a firework display.

When the days are warm enough for the bees to fly from their hives, then 

these wonderful burst of color and pollen greet them.

Happy Spring and Mother's Day everyone!

Male Northern Shoveler

This is a photo of a male Northern Shoveler.   I guess they are a pretty

common duck and are listed as a dabbler.  They feed by dabbling for

plant food, swinging their bills from side to side and straining the food from the water.

They use their highly specialized bill to forage for aquatic invertebrates -  a carnivorous diet.  They have small, comb-like structures on the edge of their bill that act like sieves.  This allows them to skim crustaceans and plankton from the water's surface.  I love their bills!!  

Arctic Tern

This small little bird, the Arctic Tern is well know for its long

yearly migration.   Its travel from its Arctic breeding grounds to its wintering 

grounds off of Antarctic may cover as much as 25,000 miles.  This is the farthest yearly journey of

any migratory bird.  Pretty impressive!!!  These little guys can live up

to 35 years.  I spotted them this last Thursday, such a welcome site!!!

Snow Goose

These geese were so much fun to watch this spring as they 

stopped to rest out at Potters Marsh.

I've never seen them out there before, so it was a treat to see them.  

I think I have over 500 photos of them.  

I might share a few more throughout the year.

The First Flowers of the Season!!!!

It's always exciting to see our first set of flowers!!!

These tulips are thriving in their warm south facing bed.

Those little things in life can be the most rewarding, and

these spring flowers are one of those little things!!!