This Weekend in Our Yards

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It was a dark and wet weekend here in Cypress, and so we spent most of it at home. This gave me a chance to see which birds are currently visiting our yards. Unfortunately, though, the lack of light made it impossible to get photos of all of our bird visitors.

For the past few weeks several Blue Jays have been occupying our front yard, where they compete with squirrels to see who can collect the most acorns. At present the Jays are definitely winning.

House Sparrows, White-winged Doves, Carolina Wrens, Northern Mockingbirds and Northern Cardinals have also been much in evidence, and Carolina Chickadees (below) are rarely absent from our feeders.

A Red-bellied Woodpecker often swoops in to our peanut feeder, scaring away our loyal pair of Downy Woodpeckers (below). However, the Downys invariably reappear as soon as the larger woodpecker has left.

The Brown-headed Nuthatches which graced us with their presence for the first half of the year are nowhere to be seen, and the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds that argued over our feeders last month also seem to have gone. Luckily, the past couple of weeks have seen the reappearance of one of our favorite species: Tufted Titmice. Two of these lovely little birds have been feasting on our peanuts and I never tire of watching them. I'm hoping that, unlike the nuthatches, they will become permanent residents in our yards.

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