Some early spring action

With the ups and downs in the weather lately, it is hard for us to know on any given day whether it is winter or spring.

However, the wildlife have a builtin timer that tells them it is definitely spring, regardless of the temperature or weather conditions, and it is time to begin getting ready for mating and nesting season. When one is out and about you can see action picking up in the animal world. Birds are pairing up and mammals, reptiles and amphibians are coming to life and becoming much more active.

I have seen many of the returning migrant birds by now. This past week I spotted my first great blue heron and ospreys and also turkey vultures. It is always a welcome sight to have these migrants back in our area for the summer. Next will be the smaller herons like the green heron and bitterns.

Turtles are starting to come out to bask in the sunshine. I haven’t seen a bear yet but I am sure some of them are out of hibernation by now.

The foxes are in their dens having their young ones.

I have been seeing more action with the raptors than I saw in the winter, which is a bit unusual. Normally I look forward to the winters for photographing raptors, but this winter they were not as plentiful. I certainly am happy to see them now. In wildlife photography you have to take it as it comes to you. These things go up and down and nothing is guaranteed.

I was out scouting back roads recently and out of the corner of my eye I saw something perched on top of a dead stump. As I drove by I couldn’t make out what it was but I knew it was worth turning around to check it out. As I got closer I made out a beautiful little raptor, the smallest and one of the prettiest of the falcon family. An American kestrel was busy pulling the fur off of a mouse that it had caught in the grass by the edge of the road. Kestrels

may be small and pretty but they are also very effective hunters. They are like miniature versions of their larger cousins, the peregrine falcon. They are very fast and superb flyers. This one was so busy dining on his mouse that he hardly noticed me taking photos.

Another day I had gone to check on a location where a barred owl lived. I did not see the owl but perched just inside the edge of the woods in the warming spring sunshine was a lovely Cooper’s hawk. You could see by its blood-covered beak that it too had just finished eating and was resting, digesting its meal.

Sometimes one has to wait hours to get the photograph you are

looking for, other times you cannot get the camera on the subject fast enough. That happened with a deer I spotted recently, but it worked out to my benefit. Before I could get the camera on, this nice doe bolted and I wound up with a nice shot of her in mid air.

The same type of thing happened again with a red-tailed hawk. Before I could get the camera on it while it was perched on a branch, it took flight, so I wound up with a nice flight shot.

Upon arriving home late one afternoon after being out all day there was quite a bit of action among the smaller birds. Perched in the trees I noticed a few European starlings. Most often they are somewhat plain looking birds, but at this time of year in breeding plumage and in the right light they can look spectacular. I managed to get a nice shot of one that I am very happy with.

Nicer days are coming in the forecast so get out there and enjoy our wonderful Kawartha Lakes nature.

DAVE ELLIS PHOTOS An American kestrel dined on a mouse it had captured. Wildlife have a built-in timer that tells them it is definitely spring.

A Cooper’s hawk had just finished eating and was resting in the sunshine, digesting its meal.

This doe bolted just as the camera was pointed at her, making for a good action shot.

A European starling looked spectacular among the spring buds.

A red-tailed hawk spread its wings and took flight.