I have never considered myself a birdwatcher/ornithologist of any degree. I mean I love birds, I plant plants in my garden that birds like, along with bees and butterflies, because it's wonderful to invite these creatures into your life. However, when we moved into the new place, I started looking at the birds a little more closely; which wasn't hard considering the crazy amount of bird activity we have going on around here. Seriously, I am considering making a call to the Audubon Society to tell them about the bird action in our backyard!
I sit outside on the patio in the late afternoon and find myself entertained for well on an hour just watching (and listening) to the birds come and go. It is really fascinating to see them interact. As I watch them I can identify the easy ones, but I thought I should pick up a field guide so that I could know my new neighbors a little better. I find myself getting all excited if I notice a new bird that i haven't seen before. "Oh hello!" I say, "Now who might you be?" then I grab my handy dandy field guide and try to find the picture that most resembles my new feathered friend. Once done I read up on the little miss or mister to see what else I can learn. I do believe I am learning quite a lot these days!
So far I have identified the following: (All photos from free source on the web and I have linked them to Wikipedia in case you would like to learn more.)
So, those were the easy ones for me. There is also a large flock of pigeons that visit the house next door, but they seem to steer clear of our yard, which is ok with me really since they seem to scare off the other birds.
These next birds required gathering a bit more evidence and information to be sure.
And my new favorite
There are more birds about, but I want to make sure that I am not mis-identifying them. It feels as though we have our own back yard bird sanctuary. I am looking forward to see what fine feathered friends come by this Spring!
So fancy that, I have become a bird watcher indeed!
Two things I inherited from my old Dad.
ReplyDeleteA love of jazz and a love of the feathered friends.
Thankfully I didn't inherit the bad tash or the baldy head.
Welcome to the world of the bird.
We had a nightingale in the garden early in the summer. It was amazing.
We also have many birds up here at Little House, they are a joy, indeed.
ReplyDeleteAll of the ones you have shared, we also have, except, I was surprised to find out that we have 'no' scrub jays this far north...I miss the little rascals.
I went ahead and looked up the link for the Portland area Backyard Certified Habitat program. Here is the link. xo
http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/article/432262
What a fantastic and colourful collection of birds you can watch. You make me want to come and sit in your garden I could watch birds for hours.
ReplyDeleteWhat a grand new hobby you have taken up, good to know what nature you have in your backyard,and show appreciation.My favourite bird is the red Robin x
ReplyDeleteMy backyard has quite a lot of bird activity, too. We've got bluejays, finches, hummingbirds, robins, and a few others that I have yet to identify. It's really funny to watch them interact with our chicken. Sometimes 4 or 5 birds will fly down and surround the chickens until my flock chases them back up into the trees. I wonder what it's all about. Territory wars, perhaps?
ReplyDeleteYou have so many more really colourful birds over there than we do here. At the moment we're all about starlings ... they come for the fruit in the orchards and hedgerows hereabouts.
ReplyDeleteThe most amazing display I ever saw was on one visit to my mother in Florida years ago. We were sitting in her backyard, admiring her regulars, when a huge flock of colorful parrots flew overhead and landed in trees in her neighbor's yard! She said they had been coming around for a couple of years, and an article in the paper said they had "escaped" from a nearby zoo.
ReplyDeleteNancy in Iowa
What a lucky collection! We have a lot of birds, but not the variety here. I love the bright red cardinal and the occasional glimpse of a blue jay.
ReplyDelete