Backyard Scene

 A female Mallard returned to my backyard.

"Today I decided to stop over  by myself.  My kids are growing up fast."

"I am a juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird."

"I am Anna's Hummingbird.  I am drinking the blueberry nectar."

April in the Backyard

 The apple blossoms are in bloom.🌞

A butterfly came over.😊

Several Golden-crowned Sparrows have been in my backyard for sometime this spring.

"I am nibbling the new Wisteria leaves now."☺️👍

Mallard Ducks are back a few times this spring.

"My wife likes to nibble the fallen suets here." 🦆🪿😍

(Squirrels make a mess underneath the feeder.)

Fluctuating Temperature

 Temperature goes up and down this time of the year.  Sometimes, it's like summer?  Othertimes, it is back to winter.   Now, Coral Bells are in bloom.  I divided them some years back and all of them are doing fine.🌷🌸🪻

In spring, one Mallard couple sometimes land in my backyard.

Male Mallard:  "It is hard to find food today because your lawn is a bit high."🦆🪿

Male Rufous Hummingbird:  "I am back.  I like your fresh sugar juice."😊

(This spring, I see more Rufous males.  Yeah!😍)

Fall at the Wetlands

 Summer birds are gone and winter birds are to arrive here gradually. 

"We are Mallards and stay here all the year around."😉

"I am Pie-billed Grebe.  I stay here all the time, too."☺️

"We are American White Pelicans.  We

 left Canada and are on the way to Mexico."😄👍

Babies at the Wetland

The weather is nice and warm.  At the wetland, many young ones are seen with their mom.

Mallard:  "I am busy teaching my kids to swim and feed themselves."👍

 

Tree Swallow: "We are nesting now."🎶😊

Killdeer: "My young one is on my left.  He is almost independent."🤩

Warm Fall Weather

 The fall sky is always filled with Canada Geese around the wetland.

"Honk, honk, honk...."(Very noisy)👀🪿😉

"We are quiet, but always here.😊🪿"

"We stay here only during the cold months.👍🌞🪿"

Summer Morning

 One bright sunny morning at the wetland, a female Redwing Blackbird had a couple of worms on the beak.

"I just found these juicy worms for my kids."

A total of six young ducks are marching along the trail.

"We are learning to walk together, 1,2,3,  1,2,3."

Up on a tall tree, a Northern Flicker was feeding a young one.

"A delicious worm, Honey."

Busy Summer

 A big family of Mallard.  

"I have to make sure they become independent soon😀😀."

High above, I saw a small flock of American White Pelicans passing by.

"We are on the way to a feeding spot💨💨."

Purple Martins always come back to the wetland.  There are many boxes available for them.

"I think this is my nest box💑😍."

Winter is Here.

 The cold weather has arrived here.  The first frost is on the blueberry leaves.

Anna's Hummingbird:  "It is getting very cold here."

At the wetland nearby,   many waterfowl are on the water.  Here are  Green-winged Teals.

"It is fun to be back here for winter."

Mallards:  "We are around here all the time.  Just take a nice photo of us."

Busy Families

 At the wetland, there are many families at this time of the year.

Here comes a Mallard mom with kids.

"My kids are growing up, but they still need someone to watch out👀👀."

Northern Shovelers are here, too.

"My kids can swim pretty good now💨💨."

In the bush nearby, a family of American Goldfinches were also busy feeding the young ones.

"I am hungry.  Daddy, hurry up!😋😍"

Babies are Everyewhere.

 This time of the year, all the birds are busy raising their young.

Here is a Duck mom with eight baby ducklings.

"We are training to swim."

Here are a couple of Canada Geese with four gooselings.

"The babies are to learn where to find food."

My iris are in bloom in the backyard.

Water Fowls

 After a week of rainy weather, the weather finally cleared for us to stop over at the nearby wetland.

Crackling goose:  "I am glad to see the blue sky!"

Common Mergansers:  "We are a big block of a couple of dozens."

A male Mallard:  " I have a pretty green head."

On a Sunny Winter Day

On a sunny day at the wetland, I noticed a couple of Red-tailed Hawks on the old tall tree.  They were sunbathing for some time.

On the other side of the reservoir, a Great Egret was fishing.  Do you notice a little fish on his beak?

And a lone Mallard duck was trying to wake up from the warm slumber.

"Don't make any more noise."

Fall Scene

A fall scene from the nearby wetland.  Some leaves are already red.

A Great Blue Heron overlooking the dried up reservoir.

Several ducks were eating their breakfast in the morning sun.

A female Mallard: "It's nice in the sun."

An Early Morning Scene

We arrived at the wetland around 8 am, earlier than usual, due to the high temperature. 

 Scenes from the wetland:  a yellow cabbage patch  butterfly: the first time I saw one around here.

An early morning landing of the Great Egret.

A busy Mallard mom with two young ones.

"I am training my littles ones."

Wetland Scene

Finally the sunny weather returned here after cold rainy days.  We took off to the wetland to see any changes.

A male Mallard welcomed us.

A young Bald Eagle flew over us.

 At the end of the trail, a Song Sparrow paused for a close up photo.

"I am busy building a nest now."

A Summer Scene

Past the 4th of July, Independence Day, the real summer arrives in Oregon.  It's been hot without rain for sometime.  We stopped over at the wetland a little past 9 am; already the sun is very bright.  In the sun, I saw a Green Heron, a summer bird,  standing on the top of a dead pole.

"Many friends already took off to the woods to avoid the heat.

At the garden area which was newly finished, there was a family of Mallard ducks.

"Be nice to my ducklings.  I have to train them on many things now."

There are many young Tree Swallows flying high and low at a full speed.

"We were born this summer."