Having a backyard (or in this case, front yard) suet feeder is great for easy, coffee drinking (shade grown/bird friendly of course), birdwatching. Since we’ve finally gotten around to putting our feeders up, we can settle in to enjoy the show. Over the course of a week a flock of bushtits make regular appearances, chestnut-backed chickadees stop in, and a …
Downy Woodpecker
Knock, Knock. Who’s There?
Earlier this week I was enjoying some afternoon sun during my lunchtime walk when I heard the knocking of a woodpecker on a tree. The funny thing was that I couldn’t find the bird that was the source of the sound. I have to admit that I was perplexed. I could see plenty of signs that a woodpecker(s) had been …
Project FeederWatch
Mark November 14th on your calendars and think about signing up for Project FeederWatch. If you’ve got a yard and a bird feeder you can collect valuable data about birds in your area. As a bonus, it is fun getting to know your regulars. This will be my first winter counting birds that visit our feeder. I’ve done Coastal Waterbird …
Downtown Downy Woodpecker
A week ago I noticed a Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) working its way through the domestic Elderberry on our front lawn and hurried out to get a photograph. Unfortunately it had moved a little too high into the shrub and was beyond the effective reach of my lens to get a good photograph. Yesterday it returned, or at least I …