It is a nice warm and sunny day. The bird bath was appealing to this grackle.
bird video
A visit from a Turkey Vulture
Our eagle eyed son shouted “Dad, come here, there’s a big bird on the top of the pole!” He was so right. A Turkey Vulture had in fact landed on the very tall utility pole in the yard next door.
That is a six foot wingspan! This big bird only weighs 3-4 pounds.
The Turkey Vulture eats carrion and plays a large role in cleaning up the ecosystem. It can soar for hours, riding the thermals in the sky. (Here is a video link of ours with soaring vultures) It was raining today, and this vulture was spreading his wings to dry and shaking off moisture as well. Vultures also spread their wings first thing in the mornings to warm up and energize for the day. We seem to have a wonderful perch, and this is the first time we have seen a vulture land here.
Blue Jay enjoying a suet cake
Blue jays love suet, and they like suet feeders set on a tree trunk allowing them to solidly perch, as opposed to hanging feeders that sway. This jay was really enjoying the suet cage we set against one of our backyard trees. Blue jays are very intelligent, and some believe that they are capable of remembering individual human faces.
A cute little woodpecker
We heard and spotted this woodpecker in our backyard this morning. What species is this one?
A big song from a tiny bird
Outside our window came a very pretty and loud song. If someone cares to offer their opinion as to what species this is, please feel free to chime in!
Birds and squirrels in the backyard
This morning we had lots of friends in our backyard enjoying breakfast!
Sher and I were serenaded today
Nothing like getting photobombed by a twig!
It was a beautiful Thursday afternoon with mostly sunny skies and a very light breeze with temps near 65. The birds and a couple of squirrels were taking advantage of the food we had set out for their use.
We have been thrilled with the variety of species that have come to our feeders. Today we spotted a new little bird, a Carolina Wren, one we haven’t seen before . He decided to flit up into the tree and serenade us with a beautiful song!
Listening to our backyard friends is as fun as watching them,.
We named her Wilma
Sher and I were thrilled a couple of days ago when we saw for just a second a stunning Pileated Woodpecker who came in and landed on our tree. Almost immediately it took off. Yesterday, however, another (maybe the same?) Pileated female came in and ended up feeding from one of the suet cages.
Notice the little Nuthatch that photobombed the video? The size of Wilma seems to have spooked it from the suet cage.
Robins in the garden
This robin was enjoying a romp in the mulch looking for worms
There are lots of robins in neighborhood, and we are seeing lots of young, still growing birds in the yard. We have tilled up sod for our flower garden, and this freshly exposed soil has become a worm buffet for the robins and other birds.
Our bird feeder has really become a center of feathered activity. We are seeing an almost constant stream of birds feeding from the feeder. The larger birds, too big for the feeder’s small perches, are enjoying feeding on the ground where the seeds have fallen from the feeder. We daily see cardinals, starlings, doves and the occasional Blue Jay. We saw a red headed woodpecker one day hanging from the bottom of the feeder. I was surprised to see a woodpecker on the seed feeder.
Don’t jump the gun as businesses start to open up again. Remember to follow the guidelines: masks, distancing, sanitizers and hand washing. Be safe and stay healthy!
Roadtirement 