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.

Swallow-Tailed Kites

 I am loving all the swallow-tailed kites in our neighborhood right now.  We saw the first one on the way to church almost two weeks ago on Sunday morning (July 9).  They've been near a road close to here for about ten days, and we've seen them probably four or five times.  Then yesterday, on our way home from a business matter in a nearby town, we saw one swooping across the road.

Swallowtails are passing through here in late July and early August.  They are beautiful birds.  They are graceful flyers who sail on the wind currents for hours at a time.  

Most of the year, when I look up into the sky, the only birds I see are vultures.  But kites have narrower wings, and if they're low enough, the viewer can see the striking color contrast as well as the forked tail.  They often associate with Mississippi kites, slightly smaller birds that look very much the same except that their tails are not forked.

And having them so close by is an extra treat.

Recent Events

 --The rose-breasted grosbeaks are out in force this year.  Wave after wave appears to be headed past our area.  I read one post in a FB group that said it has to do with our crazy weather.  This is my best photo; I could have taken hundreds since there have been so many birds, but finally stopped.

--Last night while I was doing dishes, around 6:00, I glanced out and saw a great crested flycatcher on one of the shepherd's hooks.  It is grey, yellow, and brown, and does not normally frequent feeders.  So it's a new yard bird for us.

--This morning we watched a male downy woodpecker feeding seeds to a female.  It went on for several seconds; I sure wished my camera had been close by.  I've also watched house finches and cardinals doing the same thing this year.

Observations had been pretty bleak since returning from Arizona last fall, but the last few days have included an explosion of things to observe!!

Birds 2022-2023 at feeder

 So far (January 20, 2023), not a very exciting winter.  Maybe something great will happen yet.

1. rose-breasted grosbeak (female 1st day of feeders, then many males and females in the spring.)
2. tufted titmouse
3. Carolina chickadee
4. house finch
5. purple finch
6. goldfinch
7. white-breasted nuthatch
8. brown-headed nuthatch
9. white-throated sparrow
10. chipping sparrow
11. orange-crowned warbler
12. yellow-rumped warbler
13. pine warbler
14. downy woodpecker
15. red-bellied woodpecker
16. mourning dove
17. Carolina wren
18. blue jay
19. Northern junco
20. mockingbird
21. ruby-crowned kinglet
22. cardinal
23. great crested flycatcher 
24. American robin
25. eastern bluebird
26. summer tanager (progressing from yellow to red)
27. brown thrasher
28.