Unexpected!

When I got up this morning I didn't plan on doing any real birding. I grabbed the 3 boys and headed down the road to St Phillips Cemetery in Grafton. Again on some off chance that I'd tick a Blue-winged Teal....negative.....again. I have had one here in the past but in the fall. I was able to photograph a Barn Swallow. I had one here the other day for my first of the year but I couldn't snap a pic. Today was hardly better as the photo I did capture was blurry but it IDs the bird. Also there was a Bank Swallow there that I tried like hell to refind among all the Tree Swallows to photography but I couldn't. No early Green Herons there yet either. After leaving there we headed to  a private farm in Millbury where I had a Winter Wren last winter. I was hoping maybe he would nest or something. Nope. I was able to upgrade an Eastern Phoebe and Brown-headed Cowbird photo there. I was going to go home but I was so close to Sutton at that point that I'd figured I would try Ring-necked Pheasant on Town Farm Road. NO pheasant but on the farm I did see a Bald Eagle sitting with a Common Raven and a handful of American Crows. When the eagle took flight everyone was attacking everyone! I turned the car around and headed home when I noticed a Merlin sitting in a tree watching all the action that we just witness. Posed nicely for some shots and off we all went. Early afternoon we decided to head to Rhode Island to chase Swallow-tailed Kite.....long story short. Didn't find them :(, i knew it would of been a long-shot but had to try it!

Barn Swallow- Grafton #114

Merlin-Sutton #115

Upgrades


Brown-headed Cowbird

Eastern Phoebe