Chilly and rainy spring day

A golden-crowned sparrow perches in a crabapple tree on a chilly and rainy day near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon on Sunday, April 10, 2022.

 

Flower powered

A golden-crowned sparrow feeds on plum blossoms on a raining morning near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon. According to allaboutbirds.com, this sparrow is one of the least known of our songbirds, particularly on its northern breeding grounds. Miners in the Yukon at the turn of the twentieth century woefully referred to the golden-crowned sparrow as the “no gold here” bird, because its song resembled that depressing phrase.

Osprey nesting time

An osprey brings nest building material to its mate on their nest build in an old-growth Douglas fir tree along the Umpqua River near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon on Saturday, April 9, 2022.

 

Air support

 

A honeybee forages in a plum orchard near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon. Orchards in the area are currently in full blossom and bees are active foraging for nectar and pollen.

Colorful characters

An acorn woodpecker clings to a fence post as another looks out from a nest cavity on a hillside near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon on Monday, March 28, 2022. Acorn Woodpeckers live in large groups in western oak woodlands of North America.

 

Ukrainian refugees in Romania and Moldova

I recently returned from Eastern Europe with an advance team from Heart to Heart International (HHI). The humanitarian non-profit was looking for ways to help refugees fleeing from the violence in Ukraine. The team visited border crossing in Romania and Moldova. Currently HHI is sending large shipments of medical supplies directly into Ukraine.

Awkward moment

A rufous hummingbird stretches while perched in a blackberry thicket along the Umpqua River near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon, on Sunday, March 27, 2022.

 

It's a small world

A ladybug forages on a plum blossom in an orchard on a farm near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon on Thursday, March 31, 2022.

A ladybug climbs on a blade of grass in a roadside pasture near Elkton in rural southwestern Oregon on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. The small beetles are commonly known as ladybugs in North America and ladybirds in Great Britain and other parts of the English-speaking world.