You never quite know what you’re going to see in the backyard in the spring. Case in point, this Western Tanager showed up the other day…I spotted it enjoying a bit of grape jelly. The jelly of course was put out for Orioles who have yet to arrive. This particular species of Tanager though is … Read more
White-Throated Sparrows are one of the prettier sparrows around here in the winter. They are a migrant that will typically nest in Northern Great Lakes region and then on in to Canada. They are often seen feeding on the ground for seeds, but every now and then you find one posing briefly on an interesting … Read more
It’s early morning and this bird has a “rise and shine” attitude. It’s a good time to stretch and limber up after a cold night sitting in the trees. It always amazes me to see Bald Eagles standing on the ice. Usually, my feet are freezing so I relate somewhat. Thing is, eagles don’t really … Read more
This fall has been pretty quiet on the Flicker front…I just haven’t seen much of them. But as winter has come along they are starting to come in more and more. They are still rooting around looking for insects and such (note the mud on the bill) but eventually, they’ll hit the suet just like … Read more
It’s mid-August already…where does the time go? The Gray Catbirds in my backyard are some of the first to go as the summer winds down. They’ll migrate to the southern US down to Central America and the Caribbean. They have a fairly broad vocabulary…not as diverse as the Blue Jays but decent enough to keep … Read more
As I mentioned in a previous post, this summer seems to be a banner year for the backyard birds. Lots of youngsters are out and about, learning the ways of survival in a world that is generally not very forgiving to mistakes. This Blue Jay still has down on its back but it’s flying well, … Read more