Purple finches are a rare and welcome guest at our bird feeders. Their warbling from the highest of treetops as well as their warm coloring are a welcome sight and sound.
This is yet another bird with the wrong description in its name, as this bird is not purple but rather rosy-red. Described by the famous saying of Tory Peterson, this finch looks like “a sparrow dipped in raspberry juice” - though I see more “dipped in a fine merlot” coloring.
... But not all birds go south when Jack Frost comes around. Some stick around to cheer us with a little chirp as the dawn cracks - which thanks to clock changes has made sunrise a little later. So no more 4 am calls!
The trees are bare, the parks are less crowded and it is so much easier to play spot the bird. We can see them more clearly now that there is no foliage, and get to identify those which stay behind, toughening themselves up to fight the snow and hail.
So fill up your bird feeders, pull up a couch at your window or glass door - winter schminter - this is the best show in town
Well, hello there, you handsome thing -so nice of you to come!
Having a cedar waxwing in your yard is a special pleasure. They will visit for as long as there are berries to peck and as soon as there are no more, they are off.
So cherish those moments while they are still around. It’s a treat to watch them fly in large flocks and chatter in their unmistakable high pitched chirps, while making themselves comfortable on a berry branch.
Ruby-crowned Kinglets are extremely energetic and very tiny, only about 3.5-4.5 inches small! They are an olive-green, pocket-sized songbird with white wing bars. Their legs are black with yellow feet. A little secret how to identify these little tea-cup passerines: the white wing bar has a black bar directly underneath.
You’re not alone. Birding has become one of the most popular hobbies in North America, second only to gardening. 57 million households have taken up bird-feeding as a hobby. In fact,February has been namedNational Bird-Feeding Month by congressional decree.
And by this decree, ladies and gents, we shall show you how to attract the little chirpers to your backyard. Whether in an apartment or condo or a house with a backyard, we’ll show you step by step how enter to the world of bird feeding.
“There’s more to a blue-jay than any other creature. He has got more moods and more different kinds of feelings than other creatures; and mind you, whatever a Blue Jay feels, he can put into language.”
This week we voted the Northern Cardinal as bird of the week, one of the leading birds to to inspire bird watchers and bird feeder owners. It's easy to understand why. With their fiery red plumage it's hard not to take your eyes off them, or even your ears off them, since these bird make the loveliest of sounds. So let's get to know them a little better!