The spring weather in the borderlands of the United States and Canada is not boring. A few days ago, it felt like summer. Today it felt like winter again, complete with freezing rain (which started last night), sleet, and a blanket of snow. I woke up this morning to the scene below.
Notice the snow on the deck, and the layer of ice on the grill. Luckily, none of my plants have been put outside yet. I am also blessed to not have to drive anywhere for a few days, since everything is very slippery.
The Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus Hudsonicus) in these pictures climbed inside a feeder, and found food and shelter. These animals, along with a lot of birds, were eating as much food as they could today to gain extra calories in an effort to stay warm.
The bird migration is continuing. In the last few days, I have seen White-throated Sparrows, Clay-colored sparrows, Song Sparrows, a Fox Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbirds, Northern Flickers, Common Grackles, Dark-eyed Juncos, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, and a flock of American White Pelicans. The sighting of the pelicans was a thrill because I have only ever seen one of those at a time at Gunflint Lake, and sightings can be years apart.
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American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)
These birds were very high. My camera has a 60 X Optical Zoom which was fully utilized.
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The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) is one of the two woodpeckers that is only here in the warmer months. Its' name is a misnomer, as it does not actually suck sap. It drills a series of sap wells in a grid pattern, licks the sap, and comes back later to eat the bugs who are consuming the sap. Several other types of wildlife benefit from this food source including, the Red Squirrel (seen above), and the tiny Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
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