When we lived in West Virginia, Cleon and I maintained 2 hummingbird feeders. One feeder was on our porch and hanging next to a blooming honeysuckle vine they loved, and the other was on the opposite side of the house in our garden that was filled with flowers they regularly used. The rule of thumb […]
A good friend just asked me when she should put up her hummingbird feeder. We live in central Illinois, so in my experience, I recommend between March 21st and April 1st. Below are some target dates for other areas of the country and Canada. Observe in your own yard and garden – it is important […]
We had a good-sized flock of about 300 Greater White-fronted Geese on our lake for two days in late January. This is normal for them. They will come, rest for a short period, then move on. Today we have 3. Only 3 of these geese and in mid-March – this is unusual. They are close […]
Last night, we had at least four big thunderstorms with lots of thunder and lightning, wind, and buckets of rain which generally means a good morning at the feeders and this morning is no exception. Some are feeding, but even more are singing and calling. If you are interested in identifying the birds you are […]
Turkey Vultures are again soaring over the farm fields of central Illinois and for me, are a welcome sight! Robins are now staying here in large flocks throughout the winter months and can be found in open woodlands and edges – look for them where there are copious amounts of berries. But these vultures leave […]
I took this photo this morning – a Turkey Vulture at the side of our house right at the edge of the lake. When I see Turkey Vultures soaring high up in the sky, I always think of them as black birds, but you can see in this photo that is a trick of light […]
We live in central Illinois and spring migration has begun. The first warblers are starting to come through in flocks – for us, the Yellow-rumped Warbler is the easiest to ID. This little bird is often lower in our trees and who can miss that yellow rump! We also have Ring-billed Ducks resting on our lake. They will be here anywhere from a few days to several weeks, and then will be gone till next spring.
Cleon and I live in central Illinois and range maps in field guides or online – especially those published before 2012 – can show that we are out of this bird’s range. The Eurasian Tree Sparrow is not native to North America, but was introduced in St. Louis and established itself in the city and […]