Backyard tip of the week:
Watch for Dark-eyed Juncos on the ground near your bird feeders this time of year. With a pale bill, dark eye, whitish belly, and a dark tail that has conspicuous white outer feathers, you'll notice this sweet little bird kicking backward on the ground to find his food. His call is a cheery sounding chirp which sounds like 'kew kew kew.' Of the four types of Dark-eyed Juncos which can be found in the United States, the slate colored dark-eyed junco is the one found in this backyard. Take a look and see if you can find this happy bird in your yard as a way to brighten your day. You're sure to love it!
Backyard sightings for last week:
Including northern cardinals, dark-eyed juncos and white-throated sparrows. Carolina wrens, house finches, purple finches, eastern goldfinches. Red-bellied and downy woodpeckers, white-breasted nuthatches, the tufted titmice, black-capped chickadees, blue-jays, mourning doves, American crows, European starlings, a few grey squirrels, some white-tailed deer and, yes, the neighborhood hawk!
Cool sightings of the week:
A winter storm struck our area this past Tuesday evening and freezing rain fell in the backyard all night long. I awoke Wednesday to find that every tree and bush, every blade of grass, was now adorned by winter's splendor. Soon afterward, while outside re-filling the bird feeders for my avian friends it suddenly struck me - I was living in an ice-encrusted winter wonderland. Have you ever had the kind of experience where you feel that somehow you've been transported to a world that is seldom seen and so much more beautiful then the one we usually do see? There wasn't much time, only a moment or two before I had to head out for the day, but I took that moment to enjoy the frozen and seemingly mystical backyard utopia. It was very cool!
© 2009 BackyardTV.com