Fun at the Feeders

When the days get busy around the house (and with three teenagers when isn't it busy?) I appreciate the fact that I can still look out my windows and enjoy some of the visitors to my yard. Even though I can't remember a time when bird feed was more expensive, I still consider it a bargin when compared to what I get out of seeing some of the local residents.

 

This Common Redpoll was one of two individuals that showed up at my feeders on New Year's Day and I haven't seen any since. I was lucky enough to see lots of these birds when I was up in northern Minnesota last month but around here this is a great bird for the yard list. The birding gods must have been smiling down on me in order to start my year list with this bird.

The Red-bellied Woodpecker is a year round visitor to my yard. I can count 7 species of woodpecker that have come to my yard/feeders but by far this bird along with Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers are the bulk of my visits. I did hear and then see a Pileated Woodpecker today as he was making his rounds of the neighborhood. They look absolutely prehistoric in flight. I'm hearing lots more spring songs as the day lengthen.

Here we have the classic White-breasted Nuthatch pose, head down. It won't be long before this female is hunkered down in a cavity, sitting on a clutch of eggs. By then the migrants will be making their biennial trip across the landscape. I expect the radars down south to start showing migration pretty soon. Our first red-winged Blackbirds are due back in a couple of weeks. With the way this winter has been I wouldn't be surprised to see birds arriving ahead of their usual dates. On the other hand, I'm not putting the snow shovels away just yet.