Inside Birdwatching

Between the insanely high numbers of mosquitoes and the all-day rain even we had yesterday, I didn't get out to do any birding on the property. I did take some time to pull up a chair and watch through the back door as much as I could.

I finally had a pair of cardinals at my feeders again! It has been at least a couple of months since I have seen cardinals out there. My other feeder birds included Carolina Chickadee, Eurasian Collared-Dove, White-winged Dove and Blue Jay. An Eastern Phoebe came to check out my bird bath and got a drink out of it. I'm not sure why he chose my bird bath over all the water on the ground! I still have one Ruby-throated Hummingbird hanging around my feeder. It's a female or juvenile. I am glad to see my feeders becoming more active since it's just three more weeks until Project FeederWatch begins. It would be embarrassing to send in reports of no birds at my feeders! One of the more interesting sightings from yesterday was the hundreds of Northern Rough-winged Swallows that were passing through. They were all moving from northeast to southwest.

It's been nice to see the American Crow population rebounding. When West Nile Virus hit several years ago, it really took a toll on the crow population around here. There were years when I didn't record a crow on the property list (2004 and 2005.) Now I see or hear them almost daily.

I got kind of excited yesterday when I realized it is just about three months until the Purple Martins return! I'm looking forward to seeing the pair that nested with me this past year return. The male should be in his adult plumage and looking great! I'm hoping they attract lots of their friends!