May 21, 2010 - 1
The first cricket of the year was heard this past Friday evening. there were just a few soft chirps at first, but by mid-week the crickets were singing their song quite loudly each night. A suicide bird flew in front of my truck while driving this week. I saw a streak of incredible blue color, took a deep breath and was very glad when a little bluebird made it past my truck just in time. Phew! A bluebird suicide fly-by while driving, how's that for a bit of adrenaline? Also this week, the chickadees are being seen pretty much all day long bringing food to the old water pump, and specifically to their young now living in the nest inside a slot on the top of the pump. It's so cool! I can hear the baby chicks crying from inside the pump. Mom and dad are very busy each day this time of year. Their first brood of the season, once these chicks fledge, we may expect another batch before the end of summer.Meanwhile, sunrise occurred in the backyard this morning at 5:38. Sunset will arrive at 8:16 this evening. Adding just 13 minutes this week, we're up to 14 hours, 38 minutes of seemingly ever increasing sunlight today. It's just 31 days until the beginning of summer!
Backyard Tip of the week: See what birds you can spot while sitting in your yard or favorite nature area this time of year. Though timid during the early years of bird feeding in this backyard, I've found that I can now sit outside without disturbing the birds too much. In fact, many of my favorite birds will now come to the feeders even when I'm very close by. Just Wednesday, a Baltimore oriole sang it's pretty song and made a few weird chirps before making a very colorful fly-by right past me as I worked outside. See what you can spot. Try it, you're sure to love it!
Backyard sightings for last week:
Including northern cardinals, rose-breasted grosbeaks, blue-jays, brown creepers, chipping sparrows, song sparrows, tree sparrows, white-throated sparrows, house finches and goldfinches. Baltimore orioles, American robins, Carolina wrens and Carolina chickadees, catbirds, mockingbirds. Red-bellied and downy woodpeckers, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, northern flickers, white-breasted nuthatches, tufted titmice, mourning doves. Red-winged blackbirds, crows, grackles, starlings. Bullfrogs, chipmunks, skunks, bunnies, red and grey squirrels, and an enormous pileated woodpecker that was seen very close-up last weekend!
Continued on next page...
May 21, 2010 - Part 2 - Cool Sightings
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