Blackbirds and grackles

After all the beautiful spring weather, it's snowing today.

We've seen flocks of red-wing blackbirds in the past several days, and today they're visiting the bird feeders, with their grackle pals.  Grackles are big but not nearly as ugly as starlings.  And I enjoy seeing red-wings, and hearing them, as long as they don't stay for the summer!

"In winter, Common Grackles forage and roost in large communal flocks with several different species of blackbird. Sometimes these flocks can number in the millions of individuals."  
What a thought.  Millions.  How creepy.


Today we also have in the bird garden a cardinal, juncos, various sparrows, goldfinches, chickadees.


One day I was out taking pictures and got two woodpeckers and a nuthatch in one shot.

Carolina wrens and nuthatches

nuthatch

Carolina wrens and nuthatch

Bird identification

some sites to help with identification:
wild birds unlimited
Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Birds at the feeders

Today we've seen a chipping sparrow, white breasted nuthatch, downy woodpecker, chickadees, goldfinches, junko,.

I bought a bag of safflower seeds and no one seems interested. So Dan dumped them out of the big feeder and filled it with sunflower seeds instead.

We have kept the bird bath full and thawed about half of the time this winter. The heater quits working when it gets really cold.

Baby wrens

In May Dan moved the wren house to the oak tree in the middle of the back yard. We did have baby wrens last year, but I couldn't stand having the wren house so close to the bird garden and the house. The mama and papa wrens are so protective they chase away any other birds and just about dive bomb anyone coming near the bird house.
So we seriously wondered whether that would be an acceptable location, but we did hear at least one wren singing constantly for all of June. Now as I sit in the family room (with the window open) I can hear the baby wrens chirping up a storm, waiting for mama and papa to return with food. I do wish we could watch as they leave the nest and learn to fly, but the tree is a very good hiding place!

Baltimore Oriole

A very quick sighting.  It flew from the little oak tree to the bird garden and then off.  Dan id'd it.

Our favorite woodpecker

The red bellied woodpecker is beautiful.  He's a regular at the suet this summer.