Besides all the newly-arrived migrating birds, freshly-hatched goslings, and nesting grebes, here are some additional signs that spring is on its way in South Holland.
There was at least a half dozen jackdaws on this gnarled tree trunk Saturday morning noisily trying to stake out one of a few cavities that might be suitable for nesting.
Here’s one jackdaw enthusiastically gathering nesting material.
And here’s that same jackdaw right after it has deposited that nesting material behind an ornamental grate in the side of the TU Delft Architecture building. There were about a dozen of these grates in that brick wall, and I could see birds or nesting signs in each one. I don’t know what humans intended the grates for, but the birds sure are putting them to good use.
Meanwhile, at the top of the tower above that same Architecture building, the peregrine falcons sound like they are getting busy with the same task. I imagine that they may find the generous supply of jackdaws immediately below quite handy in the coming weeks.
Finally, there is a willow tree in front of the building on campus where I work that leans out over the same body of water on which I showed you the goslings swimming, and it must have a cavity or two that rose-ringed parakeets (Psittacula krameri) find enticing, because there has been at least a pair, and often several pairs, flitting from branch to branch and chattering loudly to each other for the past week. Fortunately for us, they are so engrossed in this activity that they let us get a good look at their namesake rose-colored neck ring for the first time.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 