We are finally starting to see some bluebird activity. The first report I heard was March 19th, which is 6 days later than usual. I heard the first one in my yard on Monday, March 22, which is 9 days later than usual for me.
Be sure to check your nesting boxes and get out the mealworms! Remember to set your boxes at least fifty feet from shrubby areas or forest edges. If you don’t, the wrens will peck holes in the eggs and they will not hatch.

While out birdwatching for migratory birds yesterday, my daughter Katy and I spotted Chipping Sparrows, Sandhill Cranes, Common Goldeneyes, Red-winged Blackbird, Red-tailed Hawk, and an eagle carrying a stick for its nest. We also spotted a very dry Tiger Salamander and two otter. We gave the salamander a bath to moisten it’s skin. We would have loved to give the otters a bath, too, but unfortunately they were too far away.

Red-winged Blackbirds, thousands of robins in the cities, a Long-tailed Duck in Sauk Rapids-they’re here!