February is the month when birds are at a low ebb in Pittsburgh and birders want to get out of town. Many of us think of Florida.
Whether or not you’re heading south you’ll enjoy this video of heron life at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Filmed and narrated by Jo Alwood, it shows the reddish egret at his best — dancing his water ballet.
(YouTube video by Jo Alwood. Click here for her YouTube channel)
February = the return of the promise of spring, with the return of the grackles late in the month. Do you have any “first grackles” dates to share? I’ve only recently recorded them in my neighborhood, and they are actually in early March, but I think they are seen in Pittsburgh before then.
Steve, amazing you should mention this today! I usually see my first grackle around March 5 but this week I saw one — only one — behind my house on Feb 2. I was really surprised.