Not only do they flock together, they feed together. All of them. At the same time. My passion is watching birds, sometimes from the kitchen window and sometimes from my vantage point in a lawn chair in the back yard. One thing I have noticed is that all of the birds seem to feed at the same time. You’ll see bunches of birds - cardinals, sparrows, chickadees, finches, and the like, … [Read more...]

  There have been a pair of hawks buzzing around our neighborhood recently. Sometimes they’ll share the same tree, but often they simply call to one another from long range. I assume they are mates, but perhaps one is a juvenile. This morning, my three regular crow visitors let me know in no uncertain terms that there was at least one hawk in my back yard – and he was - perched at the … [Read more...]

I saw the first one this morning. A little snowbird – a Dark Eyed Junco, to be exact. He was hopping around beneath the feeder, picking up bits of sunflower hearts and seeds that the finches had dislodged. Almost always, the snowbirds feed on the ground. I’ll have to start leaving more seeds on the ground as I tend to my feeders. Snowbirds are cheerful little birds and not terrible skittish. I … [Read more...]

    I have always enjoyed feeding sea gulls. When I’m surf fishing at the beach, and have a few shrimp left over, I toss them high and watch in fascination as gulls swoop in to intercept my deliveries in midair. I was in Urbanna last week and had some extra shrimp that I didn’t want to put in the trash can and took it down to the dock, wondering if I tossed a few in the water if … [Read more...]

I was in the edge of the woods, looking for squirrels for a potential Brunswick Stew when I was thoroughly chastised by a Carolina wren. The wren flew to a nearby bush, checking for spiders (their favorite meal). He pecked here and there and found a few, I think. Then he saw me. He was not pleased. I guess he thought I might be looking for spiders myself, and I was, but not to eat. The wren let … [Read more...]

  Flock together. You know the saying, and this is the time of year that many birds seek out the company of their buddies and form big flocks. Crows, for example. Recently, I have seen more and more crows in medium size flocks of 20 or 30, soon to become hundreds and hundreds. They do this each fall as a means of protection. If I were a hawk, I’d certainly have nothing to do … [Read more...]

  Their day starts early. From their roosts in the edge of the dunes, the sandpipers stroll down the beach to the froth of the surf. There, they wait till the tide sweeps the water back to the sea. Then, they scurry towards the receding waves, stopping here and there to peck at bits of organic debris or perhaps snatch up a juicy sand flea. Then the tide changes its mind, and the waves push … [Read more...]

  I thought my catbirds had gone, they usually do each year, then pop up in the spring. But a few days ago, I heard the strange call, “Merrow”, like a cat, and they are still here. At least a couple are. We had two catbird families this year. They skirmished throughout the spring and summer at the Peanut Suet Bar I had hanging. Since their chicks hatched, though, they have largely left … [Read more...]

  The Afghanistan conflict wasn’t our longest war. The eternal battle between bird lovers and squirrels is the war that never ends. There can be brief moments of détente, but very brief. If there is bird seed in the area, squirrels will find it or die trying. Our backyard is a demilitarized zone so far as squirrels are concerned. I feed them (and the birds) on the ground in the way back … [Read more...]