This spring I declared war on the grackles and I’m doing about as well in my fight against these seed-thieving varmints as Putin is in Ukraine. But they’re not winning either, so I declare it a draw. They usually show up in mid-March: 5 or 6 of the black devils, followed by 50 more. I must have the only feeders on the north side of Charlottesville, and they sniff ‘em out. But….. This … [Read more...]

  I enjoy mowing my lawn. Well, almost. I would still rather be dunking a minnow near a brush pile and catching crappies or even whacking at little white golf balls that get in my way, but no longer is grass mowing such a chore. Last year, I bought an eFORCE 56-Volt 21-inch Cordless Battery Self-Propelled Lawn Mower by ECHO. It makes lawn mowing practically painless. I didn’t get an … [Read more...]

  Sometimes I feel like John the Baptist – a Voice Crying in the Wilderness preaching the gospel of sunflower hearts. Next thing you know, I’ll be eating locusts. In the meantime, Fellow Birders, please put some sunflower hearts in your feeders. I have been feeding my resident pair of bluebirds and their recent hatchlings meal worms, to save wear and tear on Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird and … [Read more...]

This was a first-time event in my backyard. I saw a thrush at one of my feeders. The normally reclusive birds generally stay in the way back, near the hedges, but the lure of a large sunflower heart cake was too much for the lovely brown bird to resist. Though the bird is commonly called a thrush, its real name is a Brown Thrasher. The generally reclusive bird occasionally makes its way onto … [Read more...]

  Monday, I was at the kitchen window and saw what appeared to be a white piece of paper blowing on the ground in the back, where I scatter birdseed. Upon closer observation, the paper turned out to be a bird, about the size of a bluebird. But it wasn’t a bluebird, it was a white bird and I’m not sure what kind of bird it was. I peered through my binoculars, but I couldn’t make out its … [Read more...]

Two of my favorite birds like to trade places. Just about the time my little flock of snowbirds head north, my usual two pair of catbirds arrive in my yard – like clockwork, and this spring it happened again. I hate to see the little juncos leave, but I welcome my catbirds. Catbirds, of course, are so named because of their ability to mimic the meow of a cat. Their genus name, Ailuroedus, is … [Read more...]