Rose-breasted Grosbeak At Our Feeder

On Wednesday, April 29th, we saw a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak on the sunflower seed feeder. This is the first time we've seen this bird at our feeders and it was quite exciting!

The Rose-breasted Grosbeak likes out forested neighborhood. It's song is like that of the American Robin but more melodious and exuberant.

This fine fellow dominated the sunflower seed feeder and chased away a male Northern Cardinal, preferring to feed on his own. Look at the size of his beak in relationship to the size of his head and you will know why he is called a grosbeak.

So if your offer the birds sunflowers seeds, look for the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. They breed in our area and this one might be sticking around!

It's Hummingbird Season!

Last Friday (April 24th) I saw our first Ruby-throated Hummingbirds of the season at our backyard feeders!

These tiny migrants travel from Mexico and points south to enjoy the sugar water in our feeders as well as breeding in our area. Hummingbird feeders are inexpensive and you can make your own sugar water by dissolving 1 part sugar to four parts water. Keep the extra sugar water in the fridge and please change the water in the feeders every 2-3 days depending on the weather, if it's sunny and hot change the water more frequently.

So, attract these cuties with a little effort for a lot of reward!

Palm Warblers in Luria Park

Today (24 April) we saw two Palm Warblers near the bridge in Luria Park. These yellow birds are early spring migrants and passing through to more northerly breeding grounds.

The Palm Warbler measures approx. 5 inches long, is mainly yellow with a distinctive rusty orange cap. It also has rusty stripes on its breast near the wings.

 So, if you spot these birds look quickly as they do not linger!

More Spring Birds: These Stay!

On April 18th in Luria Park we observed a pair of Blue-grey Gnatcatchers building a a nest high in an oak tree. The nest is a cup made mostly of lichen and spiderweb.

Above is the nest half-completed.

The next day, April 19th, we saw the nest had nearly doubled in size!

Theses birds breed here and eat a lot of bugs each day!

We also observed a small flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers in the woods near the basketball court. Some of these birds migrated from Central America and some may remain in our area over the winter but rarely. Here is one we saw April 19th in Luria Park all decked out in his breeding plumage:

We were also thrilled to see one looking for insects in our Bradford pear tree on April 18th:

Warblers are coming into our area. Some are passing through to breed further north and some stick around. So bring those binoculars to the park from now until late May and you never know what you may find! Also watch this blog for special announcements about a regular weekday evening birding walk in Luria Park during this busy migration season!

Cooper's Hawk

On Friday morning we were doing our last Cornell Feeder Watch count for the season, when all of the song birds in our backyard scattered and disappeared.  We didn't see any raptors...not immediately.  After a minute or two we looked down on the lawn and there was a Cooper's Hawk greedily plucking and eating a hapless Dark-eyed Junco.

The Cooper's Hawk clearly thought the term "bird feeder" applied to him.

These small hawks will seize the opportunity to catch prey at bird feeders. In addition to songbirds they do catch rodents. Not a too pleasant prospect at the bird feeders, but a raptor has got to eat too.

Eastern Phoebe: Early Spring Migrant

On April first we saw an Eastern Phoebe in Luria Park and managed to get a photo of this sparrow-sized bird. He was perched on a branch near the creek (where the bluebird house is located). This early spring migrant is a flycatcher. He perches on a conspicuous branch and then swoops out to catch a tasty insect flying by. The Eastern Phoebe often returns to the same branch or very close by branch to await for another insect to happen by.

From Cornell's website: In 1804, the Eastern Phoebe became the first banded bird in North America. John James Audubon attached silvered thread to an Eastern Phoebe's leg to track its return in successive years.

 Eastern Phoebes breed in wooded areas (particularly near water sources) that provide nesting sites—typically human-built structures such as eaves of buildings, overhanging decks, bridges, and culverts. Before these sites were common, phoebes nested on bare rock outcrops and still do occasionally. They seem to choose nest sites with woody understory vegetation nearby, possibly to make the nest site less visible or to provide perches near the nest for the adult. On migration they use wooded habitats and show somewhat less of an association with water. During winter, Eastern Phoebes occur in deciduous woods, more often near woodland edges and openings than in unbroken forests.