Vibrant colour of spring

Yesterday, 15 April 2015, my parking lot was going to be spring-cleaned, which meant that all cars had to be out of the lot by 7:30 am. I don't have a 2015 street parking permit, so I had to leave home at 7:30 and find something that would use up the few hours before my volunteer shift. I didn't want to risk being late for that, so decided to stay within the city rather than go driving some backroads.

The owls in Fish Creek Park ended up being my destination. I had only been there twice in many weeks and saw Mom on my first visit and then Mom with two of her three owlets on the second. When I first arrived yesterday morning, there was no sign of the "paparazzi" - I had been expecting there to be at least a few photographers and people out for a walk. This time, I was able to see all three owlets as well as Mom and Dad. Late afternoon, after my volunteer shift, I called in again for a while on my way home.

Saw this vibrantly coloured American Robin when I was at the park in the morning. These really are such beautiful birds, but because we get so many, I think they often tend to be overlooked. This male was hard to ignore, his feathers almost glowing.

"The quintessential early bird, American Robins are common sights on lawns across North America, where you often see them tugging earthworms out of the ground. Robins are popular birds for their warm orange breast, cheery song, and early appearance at the end of winter. Though they’re familiar town and city birds, American Robins are at home in wilder areas, too, including mountain forests and Alaskan wilderness." From AllAboutBirds.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Robin/id

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_robin