We started seeing Baltimore Orioles in our yard about 8 years ago – and the first year it was just 1 male. We think there was also a female and that they nested in the large trees in our neighbor’s yard across the small inlet that separates our properties. The following year, we saw both […]
Those of you who have been watching the birdcam since the beginning of March have probably witnessed what Cleon and I call The Annual Great Goose War. We have lived here almost 20 years and each year, we have a nest out on our point. Most times the nest is successful and the parents will […]
Last Tuesday was a rainy day here in central Illinois which is often a wonderful time to take a drive on rural roads. It can be a whole different world from a sunny day. We were driving through the Eagle Creek area of Lake Shelbyville when we saw these Wild Turkeys walking through the woodlands. […]
In many places in North America, the House Sparrow is not rare. In fact, it can be so abundant as to be a nuisance. When we first moved here to central Illinois, we started with a few House Sparrows, but within 10 years, we had a flock of about 30 eating at our feeders every […]
This past Saturday during feeder and birdbath maintenance, we made some changes which you can see on the BirdCam. First, the log feeder is gone. We do not provide suet during the spring and summer months. In the warmer months, birds have insects and fruit on which to forage throughout our yard and gardens so […]
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 […]
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 […]