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| Our "squirrel-proof" birdfeeder is very popular with the finches and sparrows. |
The excitement for the Great Backyard Bird Count mounted last week all over the blogging world, especially among homeschoolers. I could feel it here at the Handbook of Nature Study as so many families prepared to participate. Birdzilla was the talk of the bird blogs....check it out for your state.
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| Black oil sunflower seeds are the seed of choice at our feeders. You can read some more tips HERE. |
Our family has been a long time fan of the GBBC but the enthusiasm I felt became a little contagious as the boys helped me count birds most of Friday afternoon from our windows, watching our feeders and trees. Much to our surprise, the day before it had snowed so Friday was cold and there were patches of snow on the ground. The birds didn't seem to mind.
Friday's Count:
American robins - 5
Mourning doves - 2
Acorn woodpeckers - 2 (tapping on the side of our house!)
Nuttall's woodpecker - 1
Norther flicker - 1 (he has become a regular visitor to our back grass)
Oak titmouse - 1
White-breasted nuthatch - 1
Spotted towhee - 5
California towhee - 2
White-crowned sparrow - 14
Dark-eyed junco - 15
House finch - 5
House sparrow - 5
Cedar waxwing - 57
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| Cedar Waxwings |
Yes, we saw fifty-seven cedar waxwings and it was the spot of the day. Here is the story. We were about to finish up our counting and I said to one of my boys that I was disappointed that we didn't see any cedar waxwings. We changed windows for a last look and honestly....a flock flew into the tree in our neighbor's yard at that very moment. It was amazing. I truly would have been satisfied to have seen the flicker again but the cedar waxwings made the whole thing perfect.
We woke to snow on the ground again on Saturday and I was up early looking out the windows. The bird spotting of the day was to see the robins sitting in the snow-filled tree outside our window.There were a dozen of them sitting in the frozen morning world, quiet and still.
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| California Towhee |
The snow melted quickly and we had another bird filled day. We counted at our feeders again but when we went on our afternoon walk we heard and then spotted a red-tailed hawk flying high over our heads. I felt like he appeared just for us. Thanks Mr. Red-Tail.
The only other bird we added to our list for Saturday was the Western Scrub Jay. He can be a very aggressive bird but isn't he pretty in the morning sunshine? The Western Scrub Jay's brilliant color almost makes up for not having any cardinals in our part of the world. Almost. The rest of the numbers were higher for most of our regular visitors on Saturday since the weather was actually quite nice by the afternoon hours.
It is not too late to join in the fun and you can spend as little as fifteen minutes looking for birds if that is all you can spare. Read more about the Great Backyard Bird Count and share your list with the Outdoor Hour Challenge too!Barb-Harmony Art Mom
