It is unusual to rare for us to have Purple Finches in our yard. We did have a female for a week or so this past winter, but many winters we do not have any. We do have birding friends here in central Illinois who have Purple Finches at their feeders throughout the late fall […]
How to tell them apart? For a long time, this was difficult for me. At first, I tried to rely on the color of the males – the male Purple Finch is more of a raspberry color and the male House Finch more of an orange-red. But what I discovered is that in winter when […]
In spring and summer, we normally have 6-7 Double-crested Cormorants on our small lake. This spring we have had an invasion! More cormorants here than I have ever seen in the 20 years we have lived here. We do have several large lakes in our area and cormorants in spring and summer are common. But […]
Right now, we have a few Brown-headed Cowbirds on the platform feeder several times every day. Sometimes it is 3 or more males, but often there will be 1 female with them. Here in central Illinois, this is normal spring behavior for them and appears to be part of their courting ritual. What you will […]
Cleon and I love all the birds that use our yard, the feeders, and the bird baths. But I think our favorite is the Brown Thrasher. We started out about 10 years ago with one bird in the yard off and on throughout that spring and summer. Within a year or two, it was a […]
Last weekend we were in Lake Geneva, WI. We drove to this lovely lake and town on a snowy, overcast day. There was an accident on the interstate and the GPS suggested an alternate route which we took. It was a series of rural roads winding through the southern Wisconsin countryside past fields, woodlands, and […]
Take a good look at the goldfinches at our feeders over the next few weeks and you will witness a remarkable change in the males. They will change from their drab winter color of grayish-brown with sometimes a hint of yellow, to a mottled mess of golden yellow and that same drab grayish-brown, and finally […]
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 […]