As cold as it’s been, I walked outside just now to see my yard filled with birds. We feed them and enjoy watching them regularly, but this was an event. It was as if they planned a meeting and all showed up at once. It was unusual to see so many, and so many different types, all gathered together. It gives me hope that Spring will be here soon, if all the birds are coming back.
Our winter birds have been with us throughout, but today there were others. We like to look them up online to identify them. We have cardinals, blue jays, barn swallows, and several other varieties, but I also saw a red-headed woodpecker and a nuthatch today. I think he’s a nuthatch… he looks like the image and fits the description I found online.
This bird is a curious sort, one that likes to climb upside down on trees and even on the bird feeder. The kids call it “upside down guy.” I assume there are more than one, that it’s not just the same “guy” all the time, but it is fascinating to watch him move downward head first, hang there, and eat.
Do you have a favorite bird?
If I had to choose one, I guess it would be the nuthatch, just because it’s so different. Still, I like all the birds, from the bright red cardinals, blue jays, and royal blue and gold barn swallow to the tiny black-capped chickadees. They aren’t as colorful but they are so little and cute. They seem to eat a lot for their tiny size, are especially numerous in the winter. They don’t seem put off by snow.
At the moment, I’m wishing for robins to show up to announce the coming of spring. I’ll also look forward to hearing our mockingbird once again, if he decides to grace us with his presence when warmer weather returns. He hung out in the big oak tree out front all last summer, singing, talking, and otherwise entertaining us with his impersonations. It’s quite amazing to hear him… he even does a barking dog impersonation.
Do you like to watch birds in your yard? Do you keep a feeder to attract them?