Spring Birds Again
Came home today after teaching & sat on the deck looking at the river. First really warm day of the year, though there are still patches of snow in the deep hollows in the woods. Just at dusk, the blackbirds & grackles began arriving, perching in the high branches of the maples to catch the [...]
Grackles
Huge mixed flock of common grackles, redwing blackbirds, and starlings in the still-bare maples today. Rain & sleet this morning, giving way to steady rain out of a black sky.
Spring Birds
The robins arrived today. Heard one singing this evening at the top of a maple in the yard. Also saw the first flock of goldfinches. And walking the dogs up on the Morgan Road this afternoon, we heard & then saw a small hawk, possibly a sharp shinned hawk, though the light was behind him [...]
Spring Notes
The Canada Geese are back on the river. We heard a pair go honking by a couple of mornings ago on the dog walk, then yesterday & today they have been landing on the river in increasing numbers. As I sit looking out the south window over the water, I can see four crows lumbering [...]
Winter Birds, A Lame Deer
As I stagger toward the end of a head cold, I wanted, on the theory that winter is ending, note that I saw a couple of mourning doves out in the road yesterday. I’d seen them — or another pair — two or three weeks ago, but then they disappeared. Because I’ve been spreading sunflower [...]
American Boys
Just like to kill animals for fun, I guess. A mark of their — & our — pathology.
More Winter Birds
Snowing this morning, but yesterday was sunny. The pine grosbeaks — looks like four pairs — were joined by a flock of evening grosbeaks. I saw a pair of mourning doves that have been around all winter scuttling around under the feeder; big flock of goldfinches with some red polls mixed in at the thistle [...]
Winter Birds
Right after going out in the snow to refill the feeders, I saw two pine grosbeaks, which I haven’t seen previously this winter. Also, large numbers of redpolls have been coming to the thistle feeders. Then there are the usual chickadees, nuthatches, & woodpeckers. Having the birds flying around outside helps make the long winters [...]
Election Day Birds
More birds at the feeders in my yard this morning than I have seen all winter: starlings, goldfinches, huge flock of sparrows, grosbeaks, the usual chickadees, a couple of nuthatches & my regular woodpeckers, a downy & a hairy. We’ve had a lot of rain, freezing rain, snow & sleet, which has left a packed [...]
Winter Birds
Hadn’t seen any finches at the feeder for a couple of weeks until this morning when a flock of more than fifty descended. You often see juncos traveling with the finches & feeding on the ground, but I didn’t notice any this morning. They came in right after a brief snow squall when the sun [...]
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