This morning we had our first Male Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, but no hummingbirds or orioles seen yet. But my Haikubox did pick up both a Baltimore Oriole and an Orchard Oriole, but we haven’t seen them. In general, the orioles seem more cautious when they first arrive.
Last evening and again, just now, we had an Osprey fly over the yard. We often see them for a few days during migration and there are several ponds nearby that are stocked with fish.
The House Wrens are busily calling from all around the yard. It’s impossible to count how many we actually have since they supposedly often fill multiple nests with twigs before picking one to use. We have 20-25 gourds and nestboxes spread around the edges of our treeslines. That seems to keep them out of our bluebird and tree swallows houses, which are out in the lawn.
We have 1 bluebird house with 4 eggs and 4 houses with tree swallows building nests, one of which already has a bunch of feathers. We have a second box in the midst of being claimed by another pair of bluebirds.
In the yard, after the recent rain and warm temps, everything is greening up and we have crabapples, redbud, chokecherry and flowering dogwood all in bloom. Nice time of the year!
Dan Getman, Kirksville, northeast MO
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The Missouri Birding Society's Wild Bird Discussion Forum
