As mentioned in a previous post, I have really enjoyed the bird feeders in our backyard over the last five months. It has been fun to see the shift in species over the changing seasons. To date I have positively identified 19 different species actually eating at the feeders. Some of the more recent visitors have been Lark Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, American Goldfinches, Brown-headed Cow Birds, a glimpse of a pair of Scarlet Tanagers and a pair of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks pictured at the right. For some of the species I can identify the males vs. females. Some day I would like to be able to recognize them by their calls and songs, too.
One unmistakable "call" is that of the American Crow. I know crows are supposed to be incredibly smart, but I personally think they are creepy. They're big and ugly and their loud caws are so annoying. There is a nest high up in the evergreen tree in the back corner of our yard, so we see and hear them often. The caws of the young ones are even worse. One of the "babies" (which was bigger than robin) must have fallen from the nest this morning and either really injured itself or just wasn't ready to fly. It kind of flopped around and moved itself around our yard all day. I suppose the most humane thing would have been to let Austin put it out of its misery with a shovel or something, but I couldn't stand the thought of seeing or hearing that. We didn't see any parents attempting to help it all day. It slowly made its way across the alley and is currently residing under our neighbors bushes, so I guess it's their problem now. I kind of feel sorry for it, but it's still creepy. :op
As mentioned in a previous post, I have really enjoyed the bird feeders in our backyard over the last five months. It has been fun to see the shift in species over the changing seasons. To date I have positively identified 19 different species actually eating at the feeders. Some of the more recent visitors have been Lark Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, American Goldfinches, Brown-headed Cow Birds, a glimpse of a pair of Scarlet Tanagers and a pair of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks pictured at the right. For some of the species I can identify the males vs. females. Some day I would like to be able to recognize them by their calls and songs, too.
One unmistakable "call" is that of the American Crow. I know crows are supposed to be incredibly smart, but I personally think they are creepy. They're big and ugly and their loud caws are so annoying. There is a nest high up in the evergreen tree in the back corner of our yard, so we see and hear them often. The caws of the young ones are even worse. One of the "babies" (which was bigger than robin) must have fallen from the nest this morning and either really injured itself or just wasn't ready to fly. It kind of flopped around and moved itself around our yard all day. I suppose the most humane thing would have been to let Austin put it out of its misery with a shovel or something, but I couldn't stand the thought of seeing or hearing that. We didn't see any parents attempting to help it all day. It slowly made its way across the alley and is currently residing under our neighbors bushes, so I guess it's their problem now. I kind of feel sorry for it, but it's still creepy. :op
1 comment:
We have a bird feeder that I don't keep filled enough (they eat it fast!).. but I agree, birds are fun to watch.. and crows are creepy. I am also very impressed with your knowledge of birds. I'm just happy to see a sparrow.. but the birds with color are better... that shows my grand knowledge of birds : )
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