Long Point - birding

Today I saw the first Bald Eagle of this season. Quite often I see them during the winter here but this year they must have been smart and headed south  because I haven't seen one since last fall. I noticed him just as I was turning from the causeway onto Erie Blvd and so turned right onto Hastings Drive. He was a mature adult, beautiful white head and tail. He flew along the beach at Hastings at about hydro wire height and I just drove slowly along beside him for about 5 minutes. He then headed out over the lake and I found a place to turn around. By the time I had, he was on the beach with a fish in his talons and then he took off, over the car, and back inland over the marsh. Magnificent!
Cyndy and Jim were here last weekend, to bird watch and visit. We of course went to the bird banding on Old Cut and I actually watched a little white throated sparrow being fitted with a transmitter back pack. Very delicate work.

Swallows on a nesting box on the path near the banding nets.

The swallows are back swooping around and fighting over scarce resources (nesting boxes, holes in trees and future spouses). I have also seen a few martins but nowhere near as many as the swallows.

A neighbour makes birdhouses so I bought one and Jim put it up for me (when you have a 6' 4' guy
around you don't need a ladder) It was occupied the next day.

Cindy and I also walked in the Old Provincial Park searching for the birds that land here after crossing the lake. My job was to spot the movement in the trees and then Cyndy would get the binoculars on it and go through the fun (for her) of identifying the bird. I was just happy to be out walking in the Park.

We saw kinglets, a gnat catcher, a black and white warbler, hermit thrushes and a thrasher. We saw more than that but those are the ones that I couldn't identify myself.
I usually end with a photo of Rasta but he is currently at the vets for neutering and to have two claws removed that are between his thumbs and his paws and therefore difficult to keep trimmed. The next blog post will provide an update. So I will end with the other fliers at the beach:

The first kite boarders of the season were here last weekend.