Three More Year Birds

I went into the woods on Monday hoping it would be a little more active than I found on Sunday. Unfortunately, the birds just weren't there. Even with the strong northwest winds, the birds just weren't there. I thought they might have sat tight for the night with those winds, but I guess they decided to go on. I did add three new ones for the year. A Yellow-billed Cuckoo foraged in an oak tree right above the trail giving me some great looks at him. A Veery skulked beneath a thicket of yaupon. A Chestnut-sided Warbler announced his presence with his song, leading me directly to him. Indigo Buntings continue to have a strong showing, including on my feeders. I saw several individuals including females at my feeders yesterday.

For years I had tried to attract woodpeckers to my feeders. I blogged a few weeks about about Jim's Birdacious Bark Butter and how it finally got Red-bellied Woodpeckers to my feeders. Now I'm using a Cranberry Fare seed cylinder from Wild Birds Unlimited and have really had some great luck with it! The ingredients are pecans, sunflower chips, peanuts, safflower, black oil sunflower and cranberries and they're put together with gelatin. The woodpeckers almost exclusively feed from it now. Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, House Sparrow, Carolina Chickadee, Red-winged Blackbird and American Goldfinch have been seen eating from it. The Eurasian Collared Doves and White-winged Doves seem to leave it alone since they can't eat from it easily because they don't peck at it to break parts out and their beaks aren't strong enough to pull the seeds off. They are content to pick up what is dropped to the ground below. It is a great product (can be ordered online through the Houston Wild Birds Unlimited web site) and is easy to use. If you've got a problem with White-winged Doves at your feeders, it can be a problem-solver!

Speaking of White-winged Doves, I have seen several of them lately. I had five of them at the feeders yesterday. For years I had two at the most. It seems they have moved out this way.

I checked the Eastern Bluebird nest box in my aunt's yard yesterday and found the beginnings of a nest. So, brood number two is on its way!

Birds Seen 4/26/10 (45 species): Cattle Egret, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Red-shouldered Hawk, Laughing Gull, Eurasian Collared-Dove, White-winged Dove, Mourning Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo*, Barred Owl, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Purple Martin, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Veery*, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided Warbler*, Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Kentucky Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Summer Tanager, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Dickcissel, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Sparrow

* = First of Season