The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

From page 108.  Putting this here for future use:

"When I first took an interest in birds, I asked on a Facebook bird group page what kind of food I should put in a feeder for sparrows.  The curt answer from one expert was this:  All sparrows are ground feeders and do not eat from feeders.  He suggested I get a guidebook on birds so I could learn the basics (meaning, don't ask questions that are common knowledge).  I was new to watching birds, so I felt like an idiot.  I often do when some pooh-bah issues a blunt answer in subjects I know little about.  Fortunately, most people who love birds are kind toward beginner birders.  In fact, every birder and nature journal I've personally met is exceedingly kind and patient with every beginner.  They love to instill a love of birds."

Yard Birds 2024-25

 I guess I will do this again.  Seems a little useless when lately we've not had anything interesting in the yard.  I would love to see a purple finch, or a red-breasted nuthatch, or a pine siskin, or any of the other rarities that we have gotten occasionally in past years.

1. house finch (many!)
2. goldfinch
3. Carolina wren
4. chipping sparrow
5. Savannah sparrow
6. white-throated sparrow
7. northern towhee
8. northern junco
9. northern cardinal
10. downy woodpecker
11. red-bellied woodpecker
12. pine warbler
13. mourning dove
14. eastern bluebird
15. brown-headed nuthatch
16. white-breasted nuthatch
17. ruby-crowned kinglet
18. tufted titmouse
19. Carolina chickadee
20. brown thrasher
21. blue jay
22. mockingbird
    
    
    

    
    

    
    
    
    
    

Not Much to See Lately

September 2024.  Been kinda struggling lately with just seeing local birds.  Just seems like I've seen so many of them, and I'd love to go somewhere and see new ones.  My lifetime count is at 234.  That's not bad, but I'd like to get it higher.  Oh well, I'll be OK soon enough.  If I just see one interesting thing I'll be fine again for awhile.  :-)

 

Hawks chart

Posting for future reference.

 

Immature Summer Tanager

Yesterday morning (6/3/24) an immature summer tanager came to our yard and rested both on the wire that holds feeders and on the mirror of Mike's truck.  Tanagers hang close to the woods, and we've never seen one pop out like this before.  It didn't seem to know what to do or where to go, so it just hung around for awhile.

Mike saw it again this morning for a few minutes while I was in the other room.  So we don't know if it may reappear or not.  But either way, this was an especially fun sighting since it is quite unusual for a summer tanager.

 

Birds in Yard Winter 2023-24

1. tufted titmouse
2. Carolina chickadee
3. house finch
4. brown-headed nuthatch
5. pine warbler
6. downy woodpecker
7. red-bellied woodpecker
8. mourning dove
9. Carolina wren
10. Northern junco
11. mockingbird
12. cardinal
13. American robin
14. eastern bluebird
15. brown thrasher
16. sharp-shinned hawk
17. 
    

Feeder 12/19/23

 I have had to eat a little crow, no pun intended with the subject at hand.  Last fall Mike cut all the crepe myrtle trees way, way back--almost all the way back to the trunk.  I told him we would have very few birds this winter because they would have very little cover.  He said if we put food out, they would come.  

For several weeks I was right.  Not much came.  But last night our low temp was down to 27.  And the birds are out in full force.  No crows except what I am eating.

Just today:

house finch

Carolina wren

northern mockingbird

pine warbler

downy woodpecker

red-bellied woodpecker

tufted titmouse

Carolina chickadee

mourning dove

brown-headed nuthatch

and more that I will think of and add as they come to mind.