Whatever the cause, this Spring I am enjoying birds more than ever. I find myself checking the woods behind us early in the morning and whenever I pass by the north windows. And I have become unwilling to go out into the backyard when birds are present to avoid interrupting the wonder, behavior that seems to offer encouragement to the weeds.
This new found passion has been triggered by a rare bonanza of colorful specimens in our backyard this year. Birds both common and rarely seen in thrilling, raucous color. Tanagers, Orioles, Bunting, Bluebird, Cardinal, Grosbeak, Hummingbirds, Woodpeckers, Cowbird, Catbird, Chickadee, Nuthatch, Robin, Junco, Finch, Warbler, Wren, Mourning Dove, multiple flavors of Sparrow & Blackbird ... as well as the predators: Eagle, Hawk, Owl ... and the loud, nuisance guys: Blue Jay, Grackle, Crow, Turkey.
But, alas, the most colorful of these are in their migratory path, just stopping by to refuel. We will soon be back to the normals, but it is fun while it lasts.
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| Turkey! |
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| Dinner date |
Most photos (the good ones) courtesy of daughter Sarah, who has the good camera and the skill to operate it. I did furnish the backyard.
Addendum:
I was reprimanded for the male dominated photos, although I did include 2 pairs and a turkey hen. But here's a couple more to balance things out.
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| Tanager pair |
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| Grosbeak |
Copyright © 2019 Dave Hoplin
Beautiful pictures and great narrative!
ReplyDeleteI love your humor as much as the pictures. You put together an interesting collection of beautiful colorful birds. I enjoyed using bird watching as a deterrent to weeding.
ReplyDeleteActually, none of these birds is necessarily just passing through during migration as all of them can and do summer in Minnesota and a few can be seen year-round.
ReplyDeleteTrue, however the Tanager, Bunting & Grosbeak seemed to have moved on from my backyard.
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