I have been a serious birder for about 20 years – ever since bluebirds first showed up and started nesting in my yard. I keep multiple feeders and water sources in the yard to attract as many birds as possible, but one thing that I have discovered – I get the same mix of birds every year. This past week, for example, the snowbirds showed up right on schedule and they will leave my yard in March. It happens every year. I have come to understand that one thing that attracts snowbirds is when squirrels dig in a yard. When the pesky rodents dig and bury their stash, it uproots grass seeds, which the snowbirds enjoy. I have plenty of squirrels and the snowbirds take advantage. Plus, I always have a few titmice, downy woodpeckers, wrens, finches, cardinals, doves, red-headed woodpeckers, jays, mockingbirds, and others, plus catbirds, hummers, thrushes, grackles (ugghh!) and flickers that make an appearance in the spring. It’s the same crowd every year.
It is a thing of wonder that the snowbirds (I’m sure it’s the same repeat families) and catbirds come back to the same yard each year. Something in their genes and DNA causes them to return from perhaps hundreds of miles away.
Birds are fascinating, which is why I so much enjoy watching them.
