This has not been the most pleasant of springs this year. The sun will come out for one day, then snow or rain for 2 or 3 days. After 5 months of the white stuff, I'm starting to find it just a bit depressing. Gotta get over it! Usually by this time of year I have several hundred miles of hiking/walking under my belt. This year, I just can't make my self go.
It has been a good year to watch the birds migrate though. Apparently word is out that I no longer have a cat and that I've put food out for them. Last Saturday I counted 24 different species of birds passing through, including this beautiful pair of Goldfinches. The fellow in the middle is a Pine Siskin.
I have never thought of Robins as a particularly handsome bird, but, there is one male coming in that is absolutely handsome. His colors are just awesome. He's a little chubby and I some times wonder how he can fly, but he is just beautiful.
A pair of Black Headed Grosbeaks spent a week here. I thought they might stay, but I haven't seen them in several days. The flock of White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows moved on when the Pine Siskin's arrived. In fact, they prompted quite a change in the birds coming in. The nuthatches are still here, but not nearly in the numbers that they were. Chipping Sparrows have stayed in spite of the Siskins as have the Mountain Chickadee and Oregon Junco. There is one pair of Golden Rumped Warblers that has stayed.
All of the woodpeckers that had spent the winter moved on, though I did see the Flickers come in last week for a quick snack. Most unusual was a Black Backed Woodpecker that I got a good look at. I'd never seen one before and when I looked at the one guidebook, it said no, this wasn't part of their territory. There was no mistaking that gold spot on it's head and the solid black back though. So, I got my OLD TRUSTY Peterson Field Guide out. Sure enough, they do summer in this area, though I haven't seen it again.
I was starting to wonder if the Quail would be coming. They have shown up, but they are a bit more elusive than last year. I have a flock of Mourning Doves that considers this their feeding ground and I notice that the Quail are careful to not infringe on their feeding time. Since the Doves spend a lot of time here, I only see glimpses of the Quail.
I have a pair of Stellars Jay's that have raised their young near by for several years. They are still here, in fact they're out there right now eating. Oh, then there are the Brown Headed Cowbirds. Last year they had a Junco raise their youngster. I felt so bad for that little Junco with that big Cowbird constantly begging. It will be interesting to see who they got to raise their kid this year. I saw quite a commotion up high in my large Pondi a week ago. The Cowbirds were determined to get in to an area and several other birds, including the Grosbeak, were trying to keep them out. At the time, it looked as though the Grosbeak were going to nest. It was a few days later that they left.
So, in spite of the snow and rain, the birds have been a bright spot this spring.
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