Last week, my son Alex was home for Spring Break. On Friday, I finished my work early and came home mid-morning. The air was crisp and the sun was breaking through clouds for the first time in a while. I burst into Alex’s room, where he was propped up in bed surfing the net.
“Alex! Let’s get some exercise!”
“O.K!” he said, matching my enthusiasm. He closed up his laptop, hopped out of bed, and put on his shoes. We drove down to Onondaga Lake Park.
At this time of year, the melted snow makes ponds on the inland side of the footpaths in the park. The trees, of course, are bare and devoid of color, but that also means spotting birds is easier than it will be later when the leaves have sprouted. The park is nearly always teeming with mallard ducks, Canadian geese, herring gulls, wrens, chickadees, robins, and cardinals. But in addition to the usual avian fare, Alex and I spotted three other varieties.