Today is World Turtle Day (who knew, right?!) so here are some Painted Turtles in flight, errrr I mean, doing what turtles do best, hanging out on a log . . .

A Sandhill Crane and its colts out foraging on a beautiful spring day. The odds that both colts survive their first year is about 50%, so hang in there little ones. If they do survive, sandhill cranes can live as long as 20 to 30 years in the wild.

It's that time of year when the Sandhill Cranes start foraging the spring fields with their newly hatched colts. It's a lovely sight indeed . . .

A Yellow-headed Blackbird takes off from last year's reed to find a better spot to call out for a mate. You're a beauty so you shouldn't have too difficult of a time. Good luck Yellowhead!

The Virginia Bluebells are out in full force here in northern Illinois. Love this time of the year . . .

After vacationing in the southwest US or Mexico for the winter, Yellow-headed Blackbirds have returned to their breeding grounds in northern Illinois. It's great to once again see these wonderful birds that have so much character, one of my favorites. Welcome back!

A Red-tailed Hawk in flight with the breezy spring winds over the Illinois prairie.

We had some unusually warm weather (80+ F) for early April here in northern Illinois this week for a couple of days, so just in case it triggered a few early bloomers, headed out to a local forest preserve to check it out . . .

Pollen Sacs. What in the heck? Last summer as various types of bees began visiting the flowers, some of the captures showed a few of the bees with these yellow things on their legs - both honey bees and bumblebees had them. Not being a guru on bees, the research began . . .

After turning on a dime and diving, a short-eared owl flies low through the prairie in search of an evening snack.