Monday, September 7, 2015

My New Yard

1. side yard 9-3-15 The Harpswell Yard

We moved into the new house on August 14th in the evening. Three days later I took a trip to Connecticut and was gone for nine days. So, I have done most of my birding in this yard since my return on August 28th. It has taken us awhile to get me connected to the internet and it has become apparent that it is time for a new computer. I have been procrastinating about this forever, but the time has come to deal with it. Still, with the help of my husband, my daughter-in-law and the cable company, we were able to jury rig a work around until I can purchase one. This is a test post.

2. backyard birding 9-3-15 I’m ready to bird while I eat my breakfast!

 

3. harpswell back yard 8-17-15 A serene backyard scene.

 

4. birds love the birch tree 9-1-15 The birds love this birch tree!

This is where I have seen several of the migrating warblers, the vireos and the
Blue-gray gnatcatcher! I have many more woodpeckers here, but so far have not seen a single house finch or purple finch. There are several neighborhood cats that hang around the yard, so I do not get many ground feeding birds and the ones I do have are very wary. There are a few song sparrows, but so far, no chipping sparrows or any other kinds of sparrows have been spotted. I am wondering if I will get White-throated sparrows or juncos as the season changes.

 

5. cats enjoying the deck 8-30-15 My cats are enjoying the deck. Other than this, they stay indoors!

 

7. new feeder set-up

This is my new feeder set-up. I am finding that I do not need as many bird feeders here, and the birds do not like the same kid of seed that the birds at Mere Point did. Plus, with all this damp and moisture, the seed molds very rapidly. Mold is deadly to birds and I have already had to clean the feeders several times. The hummingbird feeder gets moldy rapidly as well and I had to clean it with bleach after my return from Connecticut. I wash it thoroughly every time I refill it now, being sure to clean the feeding ports as they can get a black mold in there. soon the hummingbirds will be gone for the winter, but I am still seeing a few lingering females around.

6. my indoor birding spot My indoor bird watching spot.

Soon I will spend more time here than outside on the deck, but for now I am taking advantage of the good weather. Here is a list of all the birds I have seen in this yard so far, with the newest being a Northern Harrier I saw just this morning!

Harpswell Yard Life List (edited 9-9-15)

1. Herring Gull 7-7-15
2. Common Tern  
3. Northern Flicker  
4. Red-eyed Vireo  
5. American Crow  
6. Gray Catbird  
7. Ovenbird  
8. Common Yellowthroat  
9. Song Sparrow  
10. Ruby-throated Hummingbird 8-14-15
11. American Goldfinch  
12. Double-crested Cormorant 8-15-15
13. Red-shouldered Hawk  
14. Downy Woodpecker  
15. Blue-headed Vireo  
16. Blue Jay  
17. Common Raven  
18. Black-capped Chickadee  
19. White-breasted Nuthatch  
20. Tufted Titmouse 8-16-15
21. Canada Goose 8-17-15
22. Red-bellied Woodpecker  
23. American Robin  
24. Cedar Waxwing  
25. Black-and-white Warbler  
26. Osprey  
27. Wilson’s Warbler* 8-18-15
28. Mourning Dove 8-19-15
29. Belted King Fisher (heard)  
30. Eastern Wood Pewee  
31. Pileated Woodpecker 8-28-15
32. Red-breasted Nuthatch  
33. American Redstart 8-30-15
34. Black-throated Green Warbler  
35. Great Blue Heron 9-1-15
36. Magnolia Warbler  
37. Hairy Woodpecker  
38. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher*  
39. Chestnut-sided Warbler  
40. Cooper’s Hawk 9-2-15
41. Carolina Wren  
42. Brown Creeper 9-3-15
43. Northern Parula  
44. Northern Cardinal 9-4-15
45. Philadelphia Vireo*  
46. Northern Harrier 9-7-15

*First of The Year Birds for me as well!

7. my creative room My blogging room.

 

Note: I have been taking photos of birds in the yard and will post them as soon as I can get them off-loaded and processed! There has been a lot going on and more to look forward to as well!

P.S. this post was edited on 9-9-15 to include an earlier checklist I found from July when we first looked at this house. That brings the yard list up to a total of 46 species of birds!

9 comments:

  1. I amglad you havesettled int your new home and I am sure whenthe birdsknow you have bird seed, the word will get out adn more birds will come. It looks a lovely spot. Enjoy and be happy there.

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  2. It's always so much fun being in a new place after getting settled in:) Everything looks SO green and lush. You also have lots of great birds on that list!

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    1. Chris, it will be interesting to see what the fall and winter brings!

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  3. Now there has got to be a lot of Birding in that garden Kathie.

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    Replies
    1. Roy, yes! There will be daily bird watching...as long as the birds show up!

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  4. Hi Kathie

    It looks like you will have a lovely spot for birds, I hope you will really enjoy your new nest.

    Guy

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  5. Hi Kathie, looks like you have a wonderful new yard. I hope you enjoy your new place and the new yardbirds. Happy Birding!

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Welcome to my nest! I hope you will enjoy spending time here with me and the birds. Thank you for your comments. I will try to get back to you as soon as I get back from counting more birds.