Spring definitely sprung this past week. We hiked Sweetwater Wetlands in Gainesville early one morning and birds sang and called constantly. This grackle sat nearly above my head on a tree next to the boardwalk. He sang and sang even as I photographed him.
Some were clearly territorial squabbles. The Red-winged blackbirds, wings very bright in the sun, flew around each other, landing and chasing on this rail. As I watched, this male fluffed his feathers and expanded his chest, and let out his assertive call. The other males stopped bothering him, I guess he made his point.
We’ve had a cooler late winter/early spring this year. We found the weather nice and pleasant, but it certainly wasn’t the low 80s with a lot of sun that our winter residents and tourists expect.
Note: I had computer problems which led to me getting a new PC running Windows 10 as I was unable to find another using Windows 7. Unfortunately the graphics software I always used requires the cloud for most things in any version of it that runs on Windows 10. Since I need to be able to use the software offline, I am in the process of determining which software I can use. If any of you can suggest something that does not require a broadband internet connection, which we do not have when traveling and camping, I would appreciate it.
Nichter Photography PLUS 