I saw my first Song Sparrow in the yard on march 19th. It was hiding in a bush at the corner of the house. I was returning form walking the dog when i saw it and quickly went inside to grab my camera. I could only hope the bird would still be there and it was, but the bush was so twiggy that it made it difficult to get the full body of the bird. No matter which way I maneuvered the sparrow managed to keep its face obscured by branches. I think it was so cold and hungry that it was too tired to fly away. I guess it was trying to do the old child’s game of, “if I can’t see you, then you can’t see me!” After taking a few photos I left it alone hoping it would soon find my feeders.
Black-capped Chickadees are the most bold and most often to be seen on these feeders. I had to move them from the dining room windows where I first had them set up because the darned squirrels soon learned they could climb a bush at the corner, then cling to the window edge until they reached the feeders where they would scramble up and gobble up all the seed!
Now all the snow has melted and the yard is full of song sparrows!
I took this picture through the bow window on March 21st.
Now that the weather is warming up it is much easier to go outside to photograph birds. I am going to have to learn to sit and be quiet and wait for the birds because taking pictures through these windows is practically pointless because of the distortion. I have also discovered that Song Sparrows look an awful lot like dried leaves and when the wind is blowing it is hard to tell if that’s a sparrow hopping or a leaf fluttering on the lawn! Binoculars are definitely needed!
I had my first Fox Sparrow on March 31st. Since then they have been regular yard birds though their numbers have dropped from a high of 10 birds seen in one day on April 4th. Yesterday I only saw two.
Before going to Florida I had seen 16 species of birds in this yard. Since my return I have added to that total almost daily. One of my favorite yard birds right now is the American Woodcock, also known as a timberdoodle. I love this bird! It’s dawn and dusk calls and flight displays are spectacular. I cannot believe I have this bird as a yard bird! One night one landed right at the edge of the driveway as I was walking towards the house. I got to see it do its rocking walk where it takes a step and rocks back and forth, then takes another step. I read there is speculation that they do this to startle the earthworms and make they move so they can probe in the mud and eat them. Since they are mostly active at dawn and dusk it will be hard to get a photo of them, but I have seen them during the day and it is my hope to get a picture of one someday soon!
You can see the complete Mere Point Cottage Yard List in the sidebar or click the links below for more info:
Mere Point Cottage Recent Species:
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ReplyDeleteWhat a list and the spring is only starting!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sheila! you are so right! I have already added 6 more species to this list!
DeleteOh my goodness! This is some bird professional site. I love chikadees. I drew one in the past. http://cesandherdishes.blogspot.com/2013/03/eye-glasses.html
ReplyDeleteCes, wow! How nice to see you again! I shall have to come and visit your chickadee!
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ReplyDeleteHello, hello, hello! So wonderful to see you again! Oh my, you have been criss-crossing the continent. Sooo busy! I'm sure you miss the warm desert, but the trees and tall grasses are nice, too. And wherever you are, it's evident that you can find dozens of feathered friends. Wow! And I thought I was pretty observant. I'm totally oblivious compared to you! You must have eagle eyes. Or perhaps you are secretly Snow White with the ability to summon animal friends. I say, that Cedar Waxwing is stunning! Fantastic photos, as always. Happy birdwatching!
ReplyDeleteBella, thank you so much! Yes, I have crissed and crossed it several times! But perhaps I am finally home! I am loving all these birds!
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