I was surprised to see a male Red-winged blackbird walking across my
patio this morning. I usually hear them before I see them. Another
unusual visitor was a Sharpie. He was here twice last week. Given the
number of birds at my feeders I'm amazed that I see them so seldom.
A male and female Purple Finch were also here today. Most likely young
birds judging by their size. The Brown Creeper still shows up. I've
thoroughly enjoyed having a pair of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Hairy
Woodpeckers as regulars on the suet. This year cemented my recognition
of a Hairy to the point where I have nicknamed my pair as Chunky and
Chunkette. So much bigger and showier than the Downy especially when
observed from only 15 feet away.
One of the many signs of spring was seeing a male Cardinal feed its mate.
A while ago my dog ran into the kitchen, barking. I thought he might
have seen a squirrel on the kitchen window feeding tray. Instead, it was
a male bluebird flying against the window and hanging on the screen on
the upper half. Something similar happened years ago but in that case
the bird just sat on the window sill, looking in.
Both male and female Pileated's were here this morning. Still getting
high numbers of Flickers
I went down to observe the nesting eagles but decided to go back later
this afternoon when the light was less harsh. 4:00 PM or later is a
more mellow sunlight. At the end of February I got the surprise of my
life when they mated and I actually got it on video. Thought that
activity was behind them once they had eggs in the nest. Looking forward
to the chicks hatching.
