Date: 4/25/24 10:08 am From: Daniel Mason <millipede1977...> Subject: yard birds
I am both struggling with the depression and anxiety some, and just
buried in other responsibilities right now... so, birding is still
mostly taking a backseat these days. But, not taking good care of your
yard = a good yard for birds.
We've had baby titmice, cardinals, and more... actually, not the first
time this happened, we have a carolina wren nesting in a garbage
barrel(with trash from the yard in it.) It's right by the back door. If
you stand nearby, it has no choice but to fly by you to feed the babies.
It's gotten a bit more comfortable with us, though we don't actually
approach the barrel.
It's funny to watch the bird sometimes go under the porch before flying
to the barrel. Trying to fool us, I think.
It had something VERY weird looking the other day. About as long as an
average good sized earthworm, but, more than twice as fat... just this
dark, long, floppy mass. It played with it for a while, then brought it
to the babies... not long after, it brought it back out.
My son saw the wren dropping fecal sacs in the yard.
Summer tanagers singing... baltimore orioles as well. They don't stick
around my yard long enough to nest, but they definitely hang out for a
while during migration. Always a treat to hear and see them.
Lots of nashville warblers seen without stepping out the door...
A common yellowthroat has been hanging around closer to the house than
previous years. I was just thinking I NEED to clear around the house a
bit more... but now, maybe I'll wait til later in the season? This bird
was not even 6 feet from my window the other day, and yet concealed well.
And then, a confusing bird... I haven't been outside to listen today,
but, at least 4 or 5 days in a row I'd hear it... never got it to show.
It was close enough to a lincoln's sparrow's song, but not quite... had
to be... or did it...
Merlin(I was close enough) had no idea. Then one day, it suggested house
wren. I played Merlin's "female song" and, that was pretty close... so,
maybe... I was starting to be more sure, it was probably a female house
wren singing. Strange sounds... wren-like enough...
But then, another day... it suggests Lincoln's sparrow.
I don't know when I'll get to uploading them anywhere, but I likely
caught it on file with Merlin a time or two so maybe I'll have someone
else analyze at some point... but, it's been interesting listening to it.
I heard, last week I think, what I thought was a bay-breasted warbler,
maybe... I heard what sounded like it or a black-and-white with an
ending similar to a magnolia song... hard to describe. It was close
enough... but, then, silence. Ugh...
Merlin picked up a kentucky one day... I've heard them in my yard(always
very briefly) during migration before. I did not hear it myself this
time so, I'm not counting it.
Habitat is sometimes good enough for a bird to check out, but not
stay... this is my yard.
Just like someone's recent sighting of willets... I had the same
experience at city lake in Siloam Springs one year... a smaller group, I
think 5, flew around and around but had nowhere to land.
Anyway...
Lots of action out there. I wish I was able to get up and out to more
places... I have not kept as good a list as previous years... missed a
lot of my favorite winter birds, such as pintails... fighting struggles
AND trying to balance priorities can be a tricky thing. Ha.
Though it doesn't always feel like it, I think I'm making the right
decisions most days. Stuff to do... has to be done.
Well, I'm rambling.
Oh I forgot, I still have to(at some point) update a checklist from the
other week that included a swainson's hawk... it was flagged. Must have
been just a tad early.
Oh... I haven't heard them the last few days, but there are days this
Spring where I've heard wood ducks fly over too... Not sure where
they're nesting or where they're going to each day. About 1000 feet from
the house is the Illinois River so, it's a good area for them.
How did birds become an addiction that can be so hard to shake? Is there
an anonymous group for it? HA
