The Tree Swallows are Back!

I saw my first Tree Swallows of the year yesterday at the American Center Marsh. There were about five circling over the pond and checking out the nest boxes. Swallows are some of my favorite birds and I am always excited to see them come back in the spring. A Black-capped Chickadee was also checking out the nest box in my yard, hopefully they will nest in it again like last year. I have not had much time to bird lately because I was visiting Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia with my mom last weekend. Front Royal is in the Blue Ridge mountains in northwest Virginia about an hour west of Washington. I never really spent any time specifically birding but I did see several birds that I haven't seen in Michigan like Fish Crow, Northern Mockingbird, Black Vulture, and Carolina Chickadee (lifer #302). I also found some birds that I haven't seen in Michigan yet this year like Eastern Meadowlark, Eastern Phoebe, Field Sparrow and Double-crested Cormorant. It was a great trip and I really liked the college. Believe it or not, there was still some snow in the mountains in Pennsylvania and even in a few spots in Virginia, it really took me by surprise since the snow has been gone for several weeks now in Michigan.