Wildflowers are blooming. Trees are leafing out. Spring is bursting out all over the Lower Chippewa valley.
T. flexipes Declining Trillium
Smilacina stellata Starry False Solomon's Seal
Trilliums and False Solomon Seal are in bloom.
Cliff Swallows have returned to the Durand riverfront Sunday. They got right to it with rebuilding their mud nests. Bank Swallows arrived yesterday. Tree Swallows continue to battle with starlings and House Sparrows over nesting holes.
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers arrived today - and along with them, the Yellow and Yellow-rumped Warblers.
Chipping Sparrow
House Wren
The ubiquitous Chipping Sparrows and House Wrens are making noise and flashing their feathers - setting up their territory and building nests.
Heidi,
ReplyDeleteI've been enjoying your blog since our incidental meeting May 1st on the rustic road along the Chippewa River. We had 40+ species that morning and another 50 around Trempealeau the next day. Staff at the Tremp NWR reported 34 spring arrivals on 5/1! Am hoping you would recommend a few good birding spots around the greater Durand/Nelson area for our North Lakeland Discovery Center Bird Club to check out when we come southwest for the Tiffany Bottoms ride the weekend of Sept.10-12.
Hope to hear from you.