Allow Me to Dream

It is bitterly cold outside,and so my thoughts go to better days ahead.

One of the events I am looking forward to is the annual Hawk migration,through the Pembina Valley.

This takes place from the end of February to the middle of April.During this time record numbers of Raptors pass through this valley.

I am waiting for that time,a time to watch and photograph birds and meet many friends who share the love of birding.

Today I share with you some of the pictures Jake took last year during this event.I have picked only 5,just to give you a taste of what we experience during this time.

Whenever a Bald Eagle comes over,one can hear the ohs and ahs.Sometimes they will surprise us and come over fairly low,but often they are a speck in the sky,heading to their northern breeding grounds.

Not all birds which pass over are Raptors.This flock of Sandhill Cranes was a special treat.

The most numerous birds are the Red-tailed Hawks.

One can see them in various plumages,some light like this one and some very dark.

This Sharp-shinned Hawk gave us good opportunities for pictures.

The last picture is an immature Golden Eagle.

This one was spectacular with those white patches in the wings.

I hope you can understand why I am looking forward to this event.Yes,I will no doubt miss Jake,as this was something we did together,but I will continue to enjoy God's creation as he wanted me to.

There will also be another person missing,and that will be Dorothy Schritt.She along with her husband were the main raptor counters for many years.She and Jake will be watching the birds from Heaven.Hmm,I wonder how that will look to them.

I leave you with a portion copied from an article in a local newspaper.

From late February to mid-April, diligent counters documented more than 11,000 raptors of 15 species passing through, including almost 8,300 red-tailed hawks, more than 1,200 bald eagles, 190 turkey vultures and 95 golden eagles. Golden eagles are rare elsewhere in Manitoba, and this year numbers sighted in the Pembina Valley broke previous records.