There are three family groups in the photo. Beyond the trees is a good sized river, home to lots of waterfowl. These geese are headed there, grazing along the way. Can you tell which family group has the youngest goslings?
birds
Left the nest a bit early?
Yes, mouth is open
3 feet away, it’s not moving
This young robin must have fallen from it’s nest. It was trying to spread its wings with no luck. It also opened its little beak when it saw me. Not knowing how to catch, ingest and regurgitate a worm, I couldn’t help him with that. Hope he makes it…
Wet and disheveled
After a pretty good rain storm a while back we noticed that a hatchling had fallen out of a nest in a tree limb in our backyard. This little fella looks quite wet and disheveled. One of the parents did come down to the ground in front of the hatchling, and the last we saw of the two (adult and youngster) they were still together across the yard. We can only hope that this story had a good ending.
A yearly backyard favorite
Who hasn’t seen this early bird getting the worm in the morning in your yard? This classic backyard favorite bird ranges from coast to coast in the US and Canada.
Did you know robins can raise three broods each season? Probably a good thing, as only 40% of the nests successfully produce young. People say that robins are a sign of spring. They actually winter over, however and spring is when you’ll see “the first” robin in your yard!
No singing here
That is right. Downy Woodpeckers do not sing like most birds. They communicate by “pecking” or drumming on wood or even metal. Surprisingly these woodpeckers make very little or no sound when going after their insect prey. They are capable of feeding on insects that larger woodpeckers cannot catch, like fly larvae in weed stems.
Male Downy, the female does not have the red on her head
We see both male and female Downy Woodpeckers quite often in our backyard. They like the suet feeders, and we have spotted a male on our hummingbird feeder. Like the White-breasted Nuthatch, Downy Woodpeckers like to flit from branch to branch, lighting on the suet feeder, grabbing a bite or two and then off they go.
Four on the feeder
These four sparrows enjoyed a meal together on the feeder. It is most enjoyable watching the birds on the feeders and picking through the seeds on the ground as well.
A colorful White-breasted Nuthatch
This little guy has a beautiful song and quite a loud one at that. He likes to come to the feeders (really likes the suet) several times a day. He doesn’t stay long, regardless of how many other birds are around at the time. He likes to flit around from branch to branch, grabs some morsels and then off he goes.
The common name Nuthatch comes from a unique behavior. The primary diet is insects and large meaty nuts. They will take large nuts and acorns and jam them into the bark of trees. Then with their sharp bills they peck open the nuts, or “hatching” them. They are also known for storing seeds and nuts in tree bark in preparation for winter.
Parental care
The starling parent, below, has a morsel ready for to feed its juvenile, above. The youngster is perfectly flight capable, and follows the parent around demanding to be fed.
Peering from the grass
This is a Chipping Sparrow peeking through the grass. Notice the cute little red cap on its head. We see this sparrow quite often in our yard, and this guy likes to feed on the ground instead of the feeders.
The state bird of seven states
Seen in our backyard…
The Cardinal is one of the most well known and recognized birds. It is the official state bird for Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. That is the most states having the same bird. Cardinal brings a striking splash of color whenever he comes into our yard.
Roadtirement 