Last week was the time of year every birder looks forward to: spring migration. Whether the birds came to your backyard,

stopped at the local park,

flew into Dyess,

or waded out at the lake,

migrants were here in the Big Country and several members sent photos for us to enjoy.

Now if the above pictures don’t move you to click on May Migration 2008 gallery to see what else was migrating through, then you are not a birder and you need to seriously consider visiting another website! If you didn’t see any migrants this past week; don’t fret. Migration is not over. It’s not too late to get outside and look around. Migration is happening all over the Big Country!

Above photos from top to bottom: Lazuli Bunting, Gray Catbird, and Yellow-breasted Chat (c) LgPacker. Ruddy Turnstone (c) Lorie Black

April may have just ended but the spring nesting season has just begun! The Swainson’s are nesting again:

Eastern Bluebirds are tending to young:

and other goodies are passing through the Big Country on their way to their breeding grounds such as Black-headed Grosbeak, Marbled Godwits, Sprague’s Pipit, and Tri-colored Heron. We’ve all been having birder’s high for awhile now and the fun just keeps getting better. Now is a great time to get out and enjoy what’s here and what’s passing through. Go to April’s Ending to see all the goodies; and then go to Bluebirds Ad Nauseam for more gorgeous bluebird photos. Upon browsing the photos, you may find something other than birds enjoying the warm spring sunshine:

Photo of mating Swainson’s Hawks by John English, photo of bluebird and ground squirrel by Laura Packer. All images are copyrighted.