Birder PapaRrazi
An Amateur Birdwatcher's tally
Gang wars occurred daily outside my window in my side yard throughout the month of June 2020. I enjoyed them. They were as good as a play. If they got too loud or violent, I simply strolled out and the members of the warring factors fled. One group was of about 5 scrub jays. Beautiful, brown and blue, brassy, and very bossy. The other group consisted of about 12 starlings. Smaller, but just as noisy, they didn’t back down to the jays. There was free suet for all, by golly. They wanted some, they would have it! "Aack! Ack, ack, ack, ack. Hiss. Hiss. Hiss." My cats would leap into the window to watch. My dogs sometimes got involved, barking in aggravation. How was an animal suppose to get a nap with that ruckus? Few other birds ventured into the frays. I saw a few juncos one early morning, a pair of sparrows on a couple of evenings. A hummer dropped by one afternoon. But in the day my yard was a war zone. I finally limited the food and that reduced the wars. It’s summer. Birds can find food all over – including my cherry tree. So, I cut out the suet and cut down on food in the feeders. The jays stayed. The starlings only visited occasionally after that. The sapsucker tree continued to be of interest. I visited about three times a week. Sapsuckers remained at the tree. They folded themselves into the littlest crack I could imagine. How did they fit? I also saw their cousin the Flicker. Red Wing blackbirds called cheerfully, and barn swallows enlivened the place. We saw some common yellowthroats and also sparrows. Two goslings seem to thrive well. They stuck close to mom and dad, who watched them as carefully as any human parents. It was fun to watch them grow. Kingfishers and blue herons seem to be rare and random in this season. But on my weekend jaunts I did get to see some – 4 kingfishers one Sunday morning. Ducks must still be off molting – I saw a few flying but none in the little bit of water left as summer drags on. The only geese I saw were the young family near the sapsucker tree. This month was one of the noisiest birding periods I remember. It will be interesting to see how July turns out!
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AuthorI love birdwatching. It's relaxing and fun. Even though I've been birding for over 10 years I classify myself as an amateur birder. I plan to write a blog each month about my experiences. Hope you enjoy them! Categories |
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