Sunday was a nice day for backyard birding. The Carolina chickadees (above) came back with a vengeance. I hadn’t seen any since March, but since Sunday, they’ve been everywhere. I assume a bunch of babies must have just fledged nearby.
In addition to the chickadees, blue jays and grackles took turns on the hanging seed block. A house finch seemed to enjoy the safflower block that the squirrels find distasteful, and house sparrows dotted the ground looking for the small seeds that fall off the feeders.
Of course, we also had the usual flock of white-winged doves as well as one mourning dove that hangs with his white-winged allies.
Ignoring the food, a Carolina wren brought bits of fluff, twigs and even some Phoebe fur up to the nest box on the porch. The previous couple moved out after their babies left the nest so it’s nice to see someone moving in. As of today, there are two eggs in the nest.
Earlier in the day, I spotted a tufted titmouse, which was exciting because prior to him, I had only ever seen black-crested titmice in the yard. Incidentally, I hadn’t seen any titmice of any kind since March. I suppose they’re in cahoots with the chickadees.
And finally, just before we went in, a cardinal came by. I rarely see them in the yard, and when they do come around they always fly away just as I notice them. This guy actually stood still long enough for me to take his picture.
James Brush is a teacher and writer who lives in Austin, TX. He tries to get outside as much as possible.
Those are some incredible bird photographs!
Those doves look like they’re having fun 🙂
It’s a dove party on the platform feeder every day.
James,
Stopped by for a visit.
I love the incredible photos of birds. Did you shoot these? I may use these to spur some writing prompts for next year.
Thanks, again, for your support this year at our web site. I have changed the name of the site to reflect the addition of other teachers and students joining our blog.
AEP
Anthony, Thanks. Yes, I shot those bird pictures. And, yes, you may use them to spur writing prompts. I love showing my kids art or some pictures and asking them to write something related. I often get interesting things from the kids who are inclined to go beyond just describing what they see.