Friday May 15, 2009

 

 

Birds in Our Front Yard

This Week

 

 Some days it seems that all I see at the feeders is ordinary finches and sparrows, but this week I’ve seen a nice variety.  Mr. Cardinal is getting braver, but never seems to come to the feeders when I am watching.

 

 

 I even saw a female Downy Woodpecker one day.

 

 

 Today an Eastern Bluebird was checking out the birdhouse again.

 

 

 

 

 But I had my favorite sightings in the middle of week when Cerwin was working on the exterior of the house – getting ready to paint the woodwork before the crew comes to install replacement windows.

 

 

On Wednesday afternoon he called me to the bush at the front, left corner of the house, and showed me a cardinal’s nest.

 

 

 I had never seen a baby cardinal.

 

 

 I’m not sure if cute is the word to describe this baby.

 

 

 

 

 He seemed to think I was it’s mother.  However, momma cardinal was in a nearby bush, chirping and twittering about, worrying that I was going to hurt her baby.  She had no idea that I treasure it as much as she does.

 

 

 Before I came inside I heard the pretty call of a male bobwhite, and easily located him in one of our pine trees. 

 

 

 It has been years since I saw a bobwhite so close.

 

 

 He was perfectly still – thinking he was hidden from me.

 

 

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About suppertime tonight I heard him again.  It took me a lot longer to locate him, because he was high in one of our hickory trees. 

It’s fun to “talk” to a bobwhite.  Each time I whistled “bob white” he answered.

It was certainly a rewarding week of birdwatching.