It took me a little while to ID this bird above, but I’m pretty sure it’s the female Red Winged Blackbird.  She looks nothing like her male counterpart pictured below that has the red epaulets .  I love how she’s straddling the branches that have new Spring buds on them.  These images are from Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware.  Red Winged Blackbirds are great singers!

Just a few of the many fishing boats at Viking Village on Long Beach Island, NJ.  Viking Village is one of the largest suppliers of fish and seafood on the east coast.  During the summer months the quaint shops are open and visitors can tour the commercial docks.  I prefer to visit beach towns in the off season when there are less people and traffic!

Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area offers opportunities to see more than just snow geese.  It’s one of the top birding locations in Pennsylvania and is home to many other species.  I was driving along the tour road and noticed cars pulled to the side and a small group of people looking at a vernal pool.  Of course, I had to investigate.   What I, along with the others, had a chance to see (and hear!) were Wood Frogs that had just recently emerged from their winter ‘hibernation’.  Wood Frogs take shelter in leaf cover over the winter and they actually stop breathing and their hearts stop beating.  They produce a substance that prevents ice from forming in their cells and this allows them to survive during cold winters.  When the weather warms, they thaw and begin feeding and mating. There were as many as 100 or more frogs in this small pool along the side of the road.  During mating season (which is now!) the male Wood Frogs make a call that sounds like a duck quacking!  So interesting to watch!

Here’s another of the high flying dock dogs at Codorus Blast last month.  This pup looks so relaxed and I think he’s smiling, too!