Busy in Our Yards

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Our yards at home have been very busy lately!

The front yard and its feeders have attracted a good range of birds daily: White-winged Doves, American Robin, Downy Woodpeckers, House Sparrows, House Finches, Northern Mockingbirds, Carolina Chickadees and Northern Cardinals. After a long absence, Red-bellied Woodpeckers have finally started visiting on a regular basis again.

 

 Most of our winter residents and visitors have gone now but a few linger. An American Goldfinch popped up on April 20, and a flock of 12-20 Cedar Waxwings flies into our oak tree most evenings. Best of all, we still have at two Red-breasted Nuthatches. 

 Unfortunately, I’m sure these birds will head north very soon. However, we also still have at least two Brown-headed Nuthatches, both of which seem so unconcerned by our presence that I can stand a couple of feet away without disturbing them. 

 We’ve never had Brown-headed Nuthatches before this winter but they are year-round residents at Kleb Woods and in Tomball. So perhaps they will decide to settle in our yards. I really hope so, because they are delightful little birds!

If our front yard has seen the largest number of birds, our backyard has definitely seen the most activity. This is partly because our resident pair of Carolina Wrens now has two young, which they regularly lead around our flower beds, containers and fences, presumably showing them where and what to eat.

Then there are the Blue Jays. These seemed to vanish from our yards for two years, but they are back now - and back with a vengeance. 

The adults are fairly well behaved but three juveniles have taken to playing noisy games of tag through the backyard. While watching them the other day, I noticed an adult Blue Jay fussing over a baby just outside our living-room window. At one point the baby was parked in a yucca plant, where I was able to get a photo.

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