In our backyard ……
If you have been watching the livestream, you know it has been cold – really cold. We have already had several nights in single digits. Several of the past days have been completely overcast. But this morning, it was simply gorgeous. Beautiful blue sky, no clouds, only a light breeze.
Three more of our winter birds have arrived – we have been watching for them! We have a pair of Fox Sparrows. These are rather skittish, shy birds who don’t always come to feeders. They like a whole lot of cover close-by – like thick shrubs. They also like a lot of plant litter – they forage by using a double jerk movement with their legs and feet, front and back, to unearth tasty stuff. They will also use their beaks to toss leaf litter aside. Underneath our feeders is fairly good foraging habitat for them – lots of dead leaves. Close by is an area of untrimmed boxwoods with copious amounts of leaf litter under them. There is also an area of full-grown deciduous azaleas which are much larger than the more common evergreen azaleas. There is mulch and leaf litter under them and many branches for them to sit – this is where I always first see them and it was the same this year. Both were in these shrubs yesterday and from there, both flew to the ground under the feeders to rummage around in the fallen leaves. I cannot imagine they will ever feed on the platform – too high and too exposed. But then birds never read their entries in field guides and no bird cares what I say so who knows? Watch for them!
With them is one brown and tan morph of the White-throated Sparrow – hopefully a few more in the coming days. If you are
unfamiliar with morphs – and this species is a wonderful example of morphs – I do have an easy-to-understand section on morphs and subspecies, along with photos, in “Common Songbirds and Raptors in Your Yard, Neighborhood, and Favorite Park” which is available for purchase. Click here for more information including the list of birds covered and sample pages: Common Songbirds and Raptors in Your Yard, Neighborhood, and Favorite Park
Don’t forget to download your free guide called “The American Robin”. There is just so much about this bird that we never realized. And it is such a good bird to begin with if you are just starting to watch birds. The robin has so much to teach us about the world of birds!
Our flock of Eurasian Tree Sparrows has returned, and they are under the feeders and on the platforms. Beautiful birds that are aggressive so lots of action when they are in view. My guess is most of you have not seen these birds as their population historically centered in the St. Louis area. In the past probably about 25 years, they are slowly expanding north and east from St. Louis and these birds started appearing at our feeders about 5 years ago. Interestingly, last summer, the flock disappeared and we thought maybe they were gone for good. But they all came back yesterday after months of being gone. Click on this link for more information about these birds: Eurasian Tree Sparrows and House Sparrows
This morning, Cleon and I saw a pair of Northern Flickers in the trees that you can see near the feeders on the livestream. When we were watching, they did not come to the feeders, but look for them. They do eat seeds and suet in winter – their favorite spring and summer food is ants.
Some of you have been sending poems and essays to me – thank you! I have enjoyed them all. As the days go by, I will start to post them. So please check out the Poems and Essays on the website menu. If you have written any poems or essays on nature you would like to share with others, please send them to me for all of us to enjoy!