November Birds

[Beverly]

Well, I'm happy to report I can stop whining about the lack of birds in my yard. You might remember, I started birding this past February...so I don't have a full year's cycle under my belt yet. I had no idea birds just up and dissappear in October. It was shocking, bewildering and a little scary, if ya ask me. How one can go from hundreds of birds at the feeders in the yard to zip for days at a time is beyond me! But...all is well and all my little buddies are returning.

I'm participating in Cornell's Backyard FeederCount, which is both fun and interesting...and it helps the birds as well as the scientists who study them. I'm happy to say, this month I've seen:

November Yard Birds ...(FO) = Flyover
Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Mourning Dove, Brewer’s Blackbird, Dark-eyed Junco - Slate Colored, White-breasted Nuthatch, Dark-eyed Junco - Oregon, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, Great Horned Owl, Canada Goose (FO), Blue Jay, Common Raven, American Goldfinch, American Crow, European Starling, Eurasian Dove, Rock Pigeon (FO), Northern Flicker -Red Shafted, Mountain Chickadee, Black-capped Chickadee, Common Grackle, House Sparrow, House Finch (red, yellow and orange varients), Black-billed Magpie.

Life is good...

[Beverly]

LOL What fun! A few months ago, I got a nice photo of a local fox. It's posted here, somewhere.

I had a bunch of Cassin's Finches last winter...I wonder if they'll come down again? Apparently they're on of the irruptive species that can show up one year, and not the next...sort of like Rosy Finches. I like the bright, red, spikey-hair cuts the Cassin's sport! I' m still not seeing the WB nuthatch every day...but almost always see the chickadees now. Oddly...I've seen juncos only twice, and both times it was a single bird! I'm used to seeing them in big flocks! Last year I found all six versions in my yard!

[Debbie]

Jealousy. Now I know where some of MY birds went. My white breasted nuthatches had disappeared for a bit, but they seem to be showing up again. Getting lots of pygmy nuthatches and the mountain chickadees are becoming more plentiful. I always have a lot of Cassin's finches. The hairy woodpecker is a regular -- only rarely do I see the male. And the Stellars Jays are regulars. The crows come around too, but I like to discourage them.

Oh and the fox comes around at night to pick up whatever seeds have dropped into the parking lot. He's a regular too.