I hear them on our morning walks – the mourning doves, the pileated woodpeckers, an owl. No photos. I spent half an hour creeping up on an owl perched in a tree, only to discover that the owl was one of those messy piles of leaves squirrels call nests. Fortunately, my betters have been in the right place at the right time capturing all kinds of birds.
On the first day of spring Babs Young and I had breakfast at the Maple Table, a pop-up fine dining establishment to benefit the Martha Wagbo Farm and Education Center. Domestic fowl were everywhere.
Wagbo Chickens by Babs Young. My grandmother kept chickens. My sister Mary keeps chickens like these. I like chickens.
Wagbo Geese by Babs Young. My grandfather kept geese. I am wary of geese.
Down in southern Michigan Dawn Kinster has trees full of nesting herons and a spectacular series of Sandhill cranes joyously making more Sandhill cranes.
Mr. Tootlepedal can always be relied upon for excellent bird photos. Sprung features shimmering mallards and a very funny story about mastering the rules of golf. Another duck offers a ruffled gull. You don’t see those every day.
All I can offer you from my own camera is this birdhouse in the woods. I am reliably informed that it is available cheep.
Torch Lake Views 
WOL
March 29, 2016
We have birds that overwinter here, mourning doves are one. I’ve seen some robins. And the ever present grackles. Used to you hardly ever saw one, and there were sparrows everywhere. Now the sparrows are rare and the grackles are everywhere. I like the females. They have an interesting bronze sheen to their feathers, and that striking yellow eye. The male grackles with their resplendent tails do a lot of involuntary sashaying when the wind is up, which is most of the time.
Gerry
March 29, 2016
We have lots of year-round residents too. Chickadees are famous for that. Crows, some kinds of owls, hawks, woodpeckers, turkeys, turkey vultures. We have a resident eagle or two that hunt along the Bay, and ospreys over in East Jordan. Of course walking with dogs does limit what a person is likely to see up close . . .
shoreacres
March 29, 2016
There’s nothing like starting the morning with a good pun. That birdhouse clearly was made with a good bit of attention to detail. I learned only recently (that is, within the last few years) that different birds require differently-sized holes in their houses. A quarter inch this way or that, and the bluebirds are going to head on down the road, and leave the house to the wrens.
Doves seem to be among the least fussy. I’ve been watching a pair build a nest under the roof and atop a piling of a shelter next to my current boat project. She’s sitting the nest now, and doesn’t seem at all disturbed by the goings-on around her. It’s an attitude I appreciate. I’m trying to adopt it, vis-a-vis what’s passing for political campaigns these days.
Gerry
March 29, 2016
And to think I was going for bad pun. That particular birdhouse is not really ideally situated, but it never attracted birds even when it was in a good spot, so I thought it might be more “décor” than “housing.” Maybe if I tucked it up under the eaves . . .
I, too, am trying to rise above the goings-on. Maybe I could tuck me up under the eaves for the duration.
sybil
March 29, 2016
Strangely enough, some Robins can be seen here year-round. I love stepping out my door and hearing the birds Spring songs ..
Gerry
March 29, 2016
I saw the first robins just yesterday when we went for our afternoon walk. They were too busy rooting around in the leaf litter to bother about singing for us.
Sharon Branson
March 29, 2016
We certainly enjoy your blog and pictures. Can you tell me where the Maple Table is located?
Gerry
March 29, 2016
Hi Sharon! I’m glad you like Torch Lake Views. The Maple Table is a pop-up which exists for only two days at the Martha Wagbo Farm and Education Center in East Jordan. It’s a fundraiser they do during maple syrup season, and it is a lot of fun. They do many other events, too, and some of those feature excellent treats. They have a website here: http://www.wagbo.org/ but it looks like they update their Facebook page more often. Please let me know if you need more info and we’ll figure it out!
tootlepedal
March 29, 2016
Thank you for the kind references. I like things that are going cheep so I admired your elaborate bird home.
Gerry
March 29, 2016
You are very welcome – thank you for the ruffled gull and the funny story.
tootlepedal
March 29, 2016
A pleasure.