Spring Bird Watching

The first hummingbirds of the year came on May 1, my birthday. According to my nature journal, they were almost two weeks later than their first appearance last year. We usually see the first ones in April.

I was very excited to look out the kitchen window and see one male rose-breasted grosbeak with three females. This morning, while making my coffee, I looked out the window and saw two males! I took pix of the first sighting. I am hoping they turn out so I can post them here. We rarely see these birds and the fact that they have hung around the feeder for a couple of days is very exciting.

We have at least one pair of Eastern bluebirds. This is also rare for us. We usually see them once or twice in early spring and then not again. I am hoping they are nesting nearby.

A couple of birds have left. I haven't seen the Carolina wren for a while, and the ruby crowned kinglet is gone.

One cowbird showed up a while back and then left. This was the first cowbird I had seen in years. Cowbirds do not raise their young. They lay their eggs in another bird's nest and then that bird raises the babies.

I haven't seen the mockingbirds in a while. Dear husband saw them in the lane just above our place. I still put out apple halves for them. I heard one last night before dark and tried to count how many calls he ran through, but I couldn't keep up with him.

We have one brown thrasher who is just beautiful! He came after I switched the suet to the kind that is not supposed to melt.

I spotted a pair of house finches at the seed feeder. They appeared to be healthy. We used to participate in a survey that tracked house finch disease by Cornell University. It can affect house finches and gold finches. I have to mention here that I love Cornell Lab of Ornithology's address. It's Sapsucker Woods!

The ducks that were in the creek left and never came back. We do have a one kingfisher.

Then we have all the regulars that we tend to take for granted, but are all really beautiful creatures. We have bluejays, cardinals, downies, red-bellies, titmice, chickadees, song sparrows, mourning doves, and white-breasted nuthatches.

For the past few days I have been watching a pair of cardinals. The male has been feeding the female. I am hoping he will bring his babies to the feeder when they fledge. He will be in charge of feeding them for their first few days out of the nest. They will sit and flap their wings and cry until he breaks off bits of suet and places it in their mouths. He is a good father and never gets ruffled. He will gradually stop feeding them and make them eat on their own.

Oh, I nearly forgot to mention...we have a mourning dove with an injured foot. I don't know what happened to cause the injury. It eats like a pig, so I am pretty sure it will be OK. It comes to the feeders on the pumphouse roof and sits a while and eats a while.

And of course the phoebes. One is still roosting on the front porch at night, but no nesting has started. We hear him during the day calling for a mate. I hope he has better luck this year. My sister already has a pair nesting on her back porch for the third straight year.

Anyone else birdwatching? Please tell me about the birds in your area.