May 30, 2008
A friendly pair of wrens were seen foraging in the wildflowers near the shop while I was outside last night. Many birds are still at the feeders late in the evening this time of year. Northern cardinals and rose-breasted grosbeaks are usually the last to leave, staying until about 8:30 each night. And, spring's latest delight arrived this week as the salvia next to the pond has begun to bloom.Backyard tip of the week:
Something I learned from the grower when buying plants one year. After your salvia has bloomed, cut off the spent flowers and the plant will grow new ones. A great way to keep the backyard in flowers even longer each year, try this one for yourself, if you have any salvia at home, you're sure to love it!
Backyard sightings for last week:
Including northern cardinals, American robins, northern flickers, and rose-breasted grosbeaks. White-crowned sparrows, chipping sparrows, Carolina wrens and house wrens, eastern goldfinches and house finches. Red-bellied and downy woodpeckers, white and red-breasted nuthatches. The tufted titmice, black-capped chickadees, blue-jays, American crows, a couple of grey squirrels, a mostly white skunk, and some bunnies. Also, European starlings, common grackles, red-winged blackbirds, and mourning doves.
Cool sighting of the week:
A couple of cool ones recently... This past Monday, while planting wildflower seeds near the tree line, some baby bunnies became spooked and ran from the brush, and away from me. Then, on Wednesday, while filling the bird feeders, a mourning dove was eating from the fly through feeder and just kept on eating as I approached. The bird nervously looked from its dinner to me and back again, yet refused to leave until I was standing right next to it. A familiar backyard bird, the mourning dove, still, having a close encounter with one this week was cool!
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