They gotta come north before going south

[TARNATION !!!]

It has been an interesting few days. First robin in the yard. Then a few Canadas over head. Then the creek ice went out and the snow melted quickly, so a creek that is dry by July is right now creating "lakes" in any low lying land near it. The "lakes" and harvested grain fields are now home to multitudes of migrating ducks (pintails and mallards in abundance) and geese (greater and lesser Canadas, and today the sky is filled with snows) On the dog exercise hike this afternoon, one "lake" was home to 11 trumpeter swans. CHARLIE is having a ball at the beach. She swims in the ice water and then scrambles onto the "beach", the last of the snow. She revels in it, bounding, frolicking and then stretching out to cool her belly. Never saw a dog have so much fun. To top her day, she headed into a lentil field in a very determined manner. After a couple minutes of casting back and forth into the breeze, she flushed a pair of sharptails having an evening meal of lentils. I had seen sharptails in that area a few years ago, so it is good to see some back.

Spring is a great season, especially as it leads into summer and then the best season of them all - autumn, when Parkers get their exercise in the field.

Cheers,
Jack

[Dean Romig]

Jack, that was so well written that you made me feel like I was right there with you.

I would like to read more of your writing - you have a gift. Parker Pages always needs a good article or story. Please consider it.

[C.O.B.]

A multitude of song birds in the yard and at the feeder, Ducks, Geese winging overhead heading north. A pair of Canadas are calling a new drainage ditch home and will probably raise their family right next to the road The sight of clays sailing through the trees the call of "Pull" and the bark of a Parker shotgun signal that Spring has sprung.

[Richard Flanders]

The first geese arrived here in Fairbanks on April 29, the earliest arrival since 1976. They will plow the snow off the field at the old Creamers Dairy in town today, which is now a wildlife refuge, and dump tons of grain for the arriving birds, which makes for quite the viewing for folks here and marks for us the unofficial arrival of spring. Within a few days now there will be more geese, sandhill cranes and ducks arriving and blanketing the field.

[TARNATION !!!]

Three pics from the other day. We're on the road for a few days now. Took many pics but they are all at home, save these three - CHARLIE at the beach, one of the creek "lakes" and a few snows overhead. They were just like one wave of WWII bombers after another. Probably up to Fairbanks now.

[MarketHunter]

It's funny how they trickle back north so slowly. I was just in far south Mississippi this past week and there were still a ton of birds down there. Bluebills, spoonbills, ruddy ducks, blue wing teal, even a few snow and blue geese.

Destry

[TARNATION !!!]

Tonight, the trickle was a flood. We were on the Trans-Canada Highway west of Indian Head Saskatchewan, on our way home from a visit with Kay's parents. On the horizon, I pointed out the cloud of geese heading north. We drove at least ten minutes before coming under the geese. They were snows and it had been non-stop uninterrupted flights. The column was probably 3/4 to a mile wide and I could not see the end to the south or the north. I'm not great at estimating bird numbers, but it was certainly in the several 100's of thousands, if not into the M's. It was a truly amazing sight. I have seen large numbers of snow geese covering fields and lakes and circling overhead to join in but this is a first for me to witness such an incredible magnitude of snows in continuous, straight line flight, on a mission to get north. Gotta love mother nature.
Cheers,
Jack

[Richard Flanders]

This sounds like the flights I've witnessed on Lk St. Clair while hunting with Destry. Solid birds from horizon to horizon in every direction. Mind boggling numbers of birds.

[Quail1]

I pulled off the freeway outside Salt Lake City yesterday to watch lots of Pintails, and quite a few Cinnamon Teal in the brackish water.