HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

 

Here are two favorite pictures from last year's hatch.

Spring is Here!

You don't have to look any further than the lilac tree at the back of the house.  Enjoy--we earned it!

Osprey! A First Time Visit

 

I had forgotten how big these feathered fellows are.  I used to keep track of a nesting pair in Inverness, California--but this is the first time that I have been close enough to an Osprey here to positively ID it.  We've been nearly twenty years on the island and this is the first time I have seen one of these incredible birds in one of our trees.  Bald Eagles "yes"--but till today, Ospreys "no".  Here's hoping we see him again.

A Treasure Island Sunset for the Collection

For those of us who love sunsets--this was a pretty good one.

Looking us Over?

 

This is getting interesting.  Our friend the swan is back with another.  Not only that--but they were back yesterday as well.  They are so shy that it is hard to believe they are checking out Treasure Island as a nesting site.  Only time will tell.  Every year we have our share of geese scouting the property--but this is a first for swan pairs.

As you can see by the railing--they came right to the front steps.  We don't have the big pier in as yet so these steps lead right to the water. 

Treasure Island Swan

Here is a shot of a rare morning visitor.  A lone swan is a doubly rare sight around here.  If we see a swan, it is usually part of a group of two to five.  They are very shy of boat traffic, so we only see them on the main body of the lake in very late Autumn or very early Spring.  We are getting some fishing boats on the lake--so this is probably our last sighting.  We photographed this fellow as he glided along the front of the island en route to the channels.

The Gang's All Here

Quite a gathering of feathered fellows on the lake the last few days.  The biggest rush at the suet feeder came with a spring blizzard.  I think the birds were stocking up just like we humans who were mobbing the super market.  Never know when a blizzard will take you out of play for a few days.

On top of that--we have the sea fowl coming in to take advantage of a bigger than usual fish kill on the lake.  Quite a mob of gulls down from Lake Michigan filling the air with their signature squawks.  Often the call is a way of saying "my turn" as a group of gulls gather around the fish carcass.  It's surprising how civilized they are about taking turns dining.

We also have three bald eagles joining in.  One mature and two most decidedly immature.  The young are scary ugly at that age--only a look a momma could love.

Then we have two loons, who seem to make a habit of calling by in the Spring and Fall for a week or two on their way to somewhere else.