Birding, with a sprinkle of spring

We spotted a white-breasted nuthatch during our visit at Gilsland Farm Audubon Center on Sunday and G. determined with the zoom lens of the camera that it was a male bird (the males have black on the top of their head, females have a grayer color). L. confirmed this sighting with her reference book and binoculars as well. The girls have this tag team thing going with the Bird Identiflyer, Peterson's Guide, binoculars and family camera. They take turns with the various birding "equipment" and it keeps us all entertained.

The girls had been begging to go back to Gilsland Farm since our trip last month. I am aware it is kind of silly that we drive all the way to the Audubon Center to watch their bird feeder. Our own at home sees plenty of action but the girls think there are more interesting birds in Falmouth. Oh, and did I mention they like browsing in the gift shop there too? During this trip, G. and I asked some questions about the store's binoculars (the prices range from under a hundred dollars to several thousand). We learned quite a bit about the power of magnification numbers and size of the lens from the very helpful and friendly clerk at the store.

G. was offered a chance to try out a couple of binoculars to understand the differences among them. When the $1,900 pair was offered to her to try, I immediately said no. G. is 12 years old and I'm still afraid she's not going to be careful with an expensive item (even though she's proven time and again the past couple of years she is not the destructive preschooler she used to be). The clerk assured me it was OK and G. rolled her eyes in my direction before testing out the expensive pair. And even though G. liked the pricier option, she thought the $300 pair would work just as well.

We did not spend all our time in the gift shop or sitting at the picnic tables watching the bird feeder however. We did actually do a bit of hiking around the farm. It was sunny and warm (relatively speaking for March in Maine of course) and we saw plenty of signs that spring is coming. The Audubon Center has some bee hives and they were active with little guys flying around and Fino managed to encourage one to land on his finger.

The clear periwinkle blue sky is wonderful this time of year.

Seeing any sort of plant life is encouraging too (even if it is around in winter).

The girls were not convinced it was boating weather yet but were impressed these kayakers were out paddling.

We saw a fast-moving spider in a snow-free patch of marsh but G. wasn't fast enough with the camera to catch him. But there is still snow around so spring isn't here quite yet. The girls had a little fun kicking it around to relish the last few days of this favorite seasonal activity.

The best sighting was a couple of smiling faces soaking up the rays.

My crew loves cross country skiing but we are looking forward to the warmer days of spring ... and ditching our winter jackets!