Great Backyard Bird Count!

An American Tree Sparrow under a feeder in our yard.

I hope you have done your part to help with this fantastic citizen science project! It's very simple, just go to http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/whycount.html and follow the instructions.

We've done it for the past three years now and it always seems to snow on that day! The snow does make the birds come to the feeders. So far, nothing very unusual to report. We did have a Red-tailed Hawk in the way back of the yard for a moment, and the Cooper's Hawk (Bob) flew through to shake things up.

A few things I've noticed today, only two Dark-eyed Juncos in the gardens. We have had quite a few more in the past. And the male American Goldfinches are getting brighter plumage...o-boy, spring is nearing!

I'll update this post if anything exciting happens. Let me know if you get a good bird out there!

American Goldfinch in one of our little evergreens.

Red-tailed hawk in the back corner of our yard...looking for breakfast?

4pm update:

The Cooper's Hawk came for two more visits. On the first visit I was trying to get a shot of a Cardinal through our dining room window when everyone took off in an explosion of feathers. Rocket Bob (the Cooper's Hawk) blasted past the window brushing his wings against it and snagged a Cardinal that was sitting so briefly on a holly bush. I guess I'll have to change the counts now...

On his (or a relatives) second visit, he was in the way back and dived down into the scrub where the Sparrows roost. I didn't see if he was successful or not, though I did see a good number of escapees!

This year, the count has been lower, possibly due to our buddy Bob. We haven't seen the Titmouse, Chickadee, or any of the woodpeckers that usually stop by for a snack at one of the eight feeders. We have something for everyone, black oil sunflower, thistle, cracked corn, suet, and a delightful blend of nuts, including macadamia nuts, spoiled rotten birds...

Maybe we'll have better luck on Sunday.