April 5 2011 - and then ...

April 4 2011 - Sparrowpalooza!

Considering it started as just a quick glance st the feeders today turned into quite something.

A couple of Chipping Sparrows around the deck including one on the Niger feeder were the immediate surprise


Shortly after a Fox Sparrow flew into the tree from the lower are of the garden - both species reappearing later in the afternoon ( but with only quick photo ops ).

3-4 different White-throated Sparrows were around throughout the day abs the Song Sparrows remain the only ones interested in the mealworms on offer.

It was generally busy all day with an unusual visit from 2 Starlings and the appearance early afternoon of a pair of Cowbirds - probably a new garden species

Jan 26 2011 - since we've no place to go....

And here it comes! 2,4,5,6 or 8 inches heading our way depending on the channel.

Jan 10 2011 - Meat!!

Good numbers at the feeders today (all things being relative....) the Niger feeder is often full I'd Goldfinches (6) with sometimes up to 3 waiting. They still seem to find it hard to eat the seed on the table although a couple did for a while. Interestingly I'd a perch became free they soon went there even though plenty of see remained on the table. One bird even visited the large seed feeder. The meal worms that were put out had been ignored for a week however today a Song Sparrow slowly worked through the worms

The other 7am

First time since the tine change and of course I'm now an hour behind everything. A pleasant calm day probably resulted in successful early feeding and relatively slow birding by the time I arrived.
Nothing on the pond but 2 female-type Hooded Merganser upstream from cardinal bridge.
On the slope down to the riverbed I watched a red fox settle down to sleep in the sun but that meant that my Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Yellow-rump moved up the hill




Near the dog park a small group of sparrows included a chipping sparrow which was much less co-operative than this Junco, the former hiding away at the top of a tree while I tried to turn it into something more exotic with no luck...

Chasing yesterday's bird

I had the choice to go aroun the softball field or back down to the lake where yesterday's sparrow was found. I chose the latter for no particulArly sound reason but making my way back towards the overflow found another group of song sparrows which I spent sone time with. I soon found a juv. White-crowned but that quickly disappeared. While trying to refind, a Lincoln's came out into the open Along the edge of the lakeside vegetation. It looked dusky around the head and I did a double take before checking out the pertinent features, Buffy moustacial, thin break streaking and 'crew cut' look to the head
On the lake the grebe and the merganser remained.
Walking from the dog park to the rusty bridge it was quiet until I chanced across a flock of yellow-rumped warbler (c.10) accompanied by a single golden-crowned kinglet.

Oh I forgot to mention the juv green heron at in inflow pipe entrance

Always (ok, very often) something new

Looks like warblers will be harder to get, maybe early walks are just too cool for much insect life at the patch. However a ruby-crowned kinglet was new for the season and was feeding, hovering to pick of it's food.
A sapsucker showed well And gave a nice mewing call.
Down by the river 8 Cardinals were feeding on and around some washed up plant life.



Back at the picnic shelter, I was listening to a pair of Carolina wrens - male calling, female rattling when Bob (just moved into the area, moved back to us from Italy) told me of a pied-billed grebe on the lake.
On my way round I found and photographed a white-crowned sparrow on the lakeside path. Stunning bird! Reasonable results from phone scoping too.


On the lake the adult grebe was feeding closeby the bank and the hooded merge that has been around for a while