Backyard Birds Archives

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Barb — Leave a comment

Summer Bird List 2014

The bird story of the summer is the story of the house finch. We have discovered that in the evening, just at dusk, we have a flock of house finches flying from all directions to roost for the night in our Sweet Gum tree on the side of the house. It starts off with a few birds flying in and progresses to a crescendo of birds flying in groups of 5-10 at a time. By the end of the evening, there are hundreds of house finches roosting in the tree for the night.

The process is reversed in the morning and starts at around 5 AM with the birdsong and then the departure for who knows where during the day.

It is an amazing story really…one that we have come to anticipate each evening as we sit on the deck.

We have not had any owls to observe yet this summer but we are going to jump at the chance if it comes along. Instead of an owl study, I have been keeping a list of our summer birds that frequent our yard. (You can find the Summer Owl Study here on the Handbook of Nature Study.)

Here is our list of birds that we have observed so far this summer.

Summer 2014 Bird List

Scrub Jays – one morning we have five of them squawking at something in the front yard.
Anna’s Hummingbirds – at least three of them at our feeder and then some in the backyard in the trumpet vine
Titmouse – several in both the seed feeder and on the suet feeder
Mourning doves – we hear them cooing every day
Starlings – in the trees
House finches – 100’s roosting in our tree
Evening Grosbeak – pair, feeding in our fig tree and at the sunflower seed feeder
Turkey Vulture – flying overhead
California Quail – heard them but haven’t seen them

We have just hung a new thistle feeder in our front yard to hopefully attract some colorful goldfinches. So far, no takers. I am curious to see if they ever come and I will keep you posted.

I hope you are having a great summer of birdwatching!

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Barb — 6 Comments

New Bird in My Nature Journal – Fox Sparrow

We have had a new regular bird under our birdfeeders this past Project Feederwatch season. I wasn’t able to identify it right off the bat since sparrows are some of the more difficult birds to distinguish in my feeders. I was finally able to take a really good photo of him and that certainly helped.

He is actually a Sooty Fox Sparrow which is found here on the West Coast. This was the bird that kept flying into my back window…in fact I got to look at one really close because it was dead on my back deck from a crash into the window. (That was a sad day!) I used a photo of the bird this time in my journal just to make it easy. I followed the prompt from last month’s newsletter Nature Journal Topper to list at least five things we observed about our bird. My rule is to get the page done in your journal and not worry about how fancy or creative it is…

This website has some excellent images of this bird: Sooty Fox Sparrow.

Have you observed any new birds yet this spring?

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Barb — Leave a comment

Great Backyard Bird Count – 2014 Results

Our winter bird study happens every week with Project Feederwatch, observing birds in our own yard for a few minutes at a time. We also participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count in February. Both citizen science projects are super easy to complete. Even when we first started counting birds, back when we couldn’t name every bird, we felt a sense of joy at awakening our admiration for birds.

This year our list was much smaller than previous years. We are guessing it is the weather we have been experiencing with much warmer and sunny days, very little rain. I am assuming this is valuable information to share with the scientists at the GBBC as they process the data and see where birds are in 2014 during the count.

Here is our official list for the Great Backyard Bird Count:

Nuttall’s woodpecker – 1
Anna’s hummingbird – 1
Titmouse – 1
Western scrub jay – 1
American goldfinch – 2
House finch – 10
Dark-eyed Junco 6
House sparrow – 4
White-crowned sparrow – 4

Other birds seen in February 2014:

Spotted towhee
White-breasted nuthatch
Acorn woodpecker
Fox sparrow
California towhee

We have a new bird that visits under our birdfeeder which is exciting. It is a Fox sparrow (sooty). I have yet to get a really good photo of him but I will keep trying. This is the type of bird that has flown into my window twice now. They are such pretty birds and it makes me sad to see them perish in such an undignified way.

I am also working on my Nature Study Goals for 2014 and trying to add some of my newer bird discoveries to my nature journal. Here is my Bewick’s wren entry…not very original but it works. Drawing birds is a challenge for me but I think this one turned out decently. I haven’t seen this particular wren in weeks but I am keeping my eye out to see when it returns to our yard.

Last summer we added a new suet feeder to the yard and it has now become a favorite of the Acorn woodpecker. He comes just about every day to eat and I enjoy watching him with all his colorful glory. I will keep it stocked with suet and see if he becomes a year-round resident.

March is the last month of Project Feederwatch for the season. I am always sad to see it go but I keep an informal record of the birds seen at our feeders just about year-round. It brings me such joy!

Posted on December 23, 2013 by Barb — 2 Comments

December Nature Study Wrap-Up

Our December was filled with birdwatching. We had some exciting new birds and lots of old favorites.

Here is my list and then a few photos:
December 2013

Anna’s hummingbird
White-breasted nuthatch
Western scrub jay
Oak titmouse
House finch
House sparrow
White-crowned sparrow
California towhee
Spotted towhee
Junco
Bewick’s wren
American goldfinch
Lesser goldfinch
Mockingbird
Northern flicker
House wren
Nuttall’s woodpecker
Mourning dove
European starlings
Hermit thrush
California quail – heard but didn’t see

Spotted towhee

Junco

House finch

Thinking this is a Hermit thrush-first time we have seen this and only in the snow.

Bewick’s wren


Anna’s hummingbird – at least three still at our feeders in December

Now a little something to inspire you…

I also finished my December nature journal entry for the extraordinary in the ordinary and December Grid Study. I cut some of the squares from the grid and then used them on my journal page. This is a quick and easy way to create a record of a variety of nature observations in a month.

We are definitely building a snowman birdfeeder again…it was so much fun for us and for the birds!

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Barb — 4 Comments

December Extraordinary Things

We had a snowstorm that brought inches of glorious sparkling snow! I used the opportunity to see the extraordinary in the ordinary as part of last week’s Outdoor Hour Challenge.

Extraordinary Observations

I love the silence that comes from the snow. I was up several times in the night to watch the snow fall…there is something about the first snow of the year that makes it magical. This was the first time in a very long time that I didn’t have boys at home to go out early to enjoy the fresh snow. Times have changed.

The birds flock to our feeders just after a snowfall. They shelter in the shrubs and in the tree branches just beyond the feeders. They seem to come alive with the snow and every feeder is busy all day long. Finches, sparrows, juncos, jays, and even the hummingbirds come in numbers that I don’t see at other times.

I put out extra seed this morning and they still ate most of it up. I had to refill the hummingbird feeder the next morning…it had frozen overnight.

Cold air is invigorating. It is a smack in the face at first but then it stimulates many senses..the numbness of the nose and hands or the stinging tears that come from freezing air. The trees hold the snow until later in the afternoon and then as it melts it makes avalanches of snow underneath. One time I was bombed with snow on the head and it was cold!

The snow crunches and gives way under my boots as I tour the yard with the Kona dog and my camera. Kona thinks snow is fun and spends time chasing snowballs, eating snow, and generally racing around the yard in circles.

Colors are more vibrant and pop out from the white background. Reds, yellows, oranges, greens…all seem more brilliant in a snowy landscape. We gathered a few colorful items for a project that I will share later in the week…look for it.

December shared its snowy extraordinary side this week…just in time to share for this challenge. I look forward to hearing about your extraordinary in the ordinary observations. So much to be thankful for.

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Barb — 2 Comments

Backyard Birds: November 2013

I love watching and counting our backyard birds. As part of Project Feederwatch I am observing two days a week, a few minutes per day. Participating in this citizen science project has brought such focus to our birdwatching. We constantly are reminded that if we didn’t put in the effort, we would miss out on so many learning opportunities.

We saw a House Finch last week that has eye disease. This led to a bit of research on the All About Birds website. We learned the causes and the action we need to take when we see a House Finch with an eye disorder. You can read more on Cornell’s Website.

Today we saw a bunch of Juncos…one even posed on the back deck railing. Look at those feet. It spurred me on to pull out the bird feet activity from a few weeks ago to try to discover what kind of feet the Junco has.

It was quite an exciting afternoon when we spotted two Ruby Crowned Kinglets in our front yard. If you look closely in the center of this photo you will spy a little bird with red feathers on his head. He is fast so I wasn’t able to get a very clear photo of him but there he is! He is so light that he can land on branches of the butterfly bushes and they don’t even sag. He can sort of hover over the branch as well…amazing. I was able a few years ago to get a good photo in this entry: November Birds.

Here is our November 2013 List of Birds:
House Finch
White Crowned Sparrow
Dark Eyed Junco
Oak Titmouse
Anna’s Hummingbird
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
Spotted Towhee
Western Bluebird
White Breasted Nuthatch
Cedar Waxwing
European Starling
Western Scrubjay
Bewick’s Wren – new to our life list
Northern Mockingbird
Ruby Crowned Kinglet

I am so looking forward to December bird watching!

Join us for the 2013-2014 Outdoor Hour Challenges!

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Barb — 1 Comment

Project Feederwatch and Autumn Birds

Time for Project Feederwatch to begin for the season! I am ready to go this year and have me days planned for observing our feeders. It only takes a few minutes on two consecutive days each week to participate. If you miss a week, that is okay too…just pick up when you can.

Watch a video on how to get started.

I love weaving a citizen science project like this into our lives. We have several feeders we can see from our windows and keeping them filled with seed is easy. Those feeders become the focal point of our bird observations because for Project Feederwatch you only count birds that come to eat.

We have participated for the last two years and it is interesting to compare our numbers from year to year.

We are already seeing some of our winter residents arriving from their summer migration areas.

What are you seeing at your feeders this month? Are you anticipating the return of any birds to your feeders?

Here is what we had at our feeders this week:
Dark eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
House Finches
Anna’s Hummingbirds
Spotted Towhee
Western Scrub Jays
Titmouse
Starlings (in the trees, not the feeder though)
Goldfinches
White-breasted nuthatches

Plus a NEW BIRD!!!

This is the first time ever I spotted a Bewick’s Wren in my backyard! I was out trying to capture my Spotted towhee when this little guy caught my eye. He was flitting around in the shrubs and he ended up on the lilac branches in my butterfly garden. I wasn’t sure if I could get him because he was fast! But, there he is and the image is clear enough that I was able to go in and identify him using WhatBird? and AllAboutBirds.com. He is new on my life list and he will be going into my nature journal soon.

I will be sharing my bird lists each month and if you do the same you can drop me a comment and I will come and take a look.

You may be interested in following my Nature Study-Birds Pinterest board!

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Barb — Leave a comment

Pine Siskin – Learning to Notice the Details

Part of my nature study goals this year was to learn about ten new birds and their calls. I think I was a little ambitious and ten *new* birds is a lot to tackle. I am up to three birds….not sure how I got off on my count but I only have three official birds so far:

Pine Siskin
Carduelis pinus
This entry is all about the Pine Siskins which we spotted way back in February during the Great Backyard Bird Count. I created a nature notebook page for the Pine Siskin at that time but never shared it with you. I used the coloring page from the Cornell Feeder Bird Coloring Book (free to download and save on your computer for future use). This is a bird that does not stay year–round in our yard. I had to look carefully to spot this bird because it is very much like the finches we have everyday at the feeders. It looks like a finch with yellow wing bars and a little yellow on its rump.

The call of the Pine Siskin sounds similar to the canaries I have heard. Here is the page on All About Birds with the sounds of the Pine Siskin. It is a sweet little bird and I am anxious to see it once the winter comes. Looking at the migration map, it looks like it moves far north for the summer.

Still working on my nature study goals for 2013…learning ten new birds and their calls during the year.
Amazon.com Widgets
I am an Amazon.com affiliate and I recommend books and other resources that I love and use in our family.

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Barb — 23 Comments

Backyard Birder and Master Birder – Larkwire App Review

If you are a bird-loving family and are looking for fun as well as educational apps for your iPad, Larkwire Backyard Birder and Master Birder are two apps you may be interested in knowing more about. I received both apps as a gift from Larkwire (no other compensation) and I have been using these apps over the last few months to learn bird songs by ear.

The format for each app is similar and is based on the idea that you will view an image of a bird and then hear its song. After you have listened and are confident that you can recognize the bird’s song, you play a matching game with four birds at a time. This sounds easy but your ear really needs to be trained to hear the subtle differences in bird songs.

In the Gallery Game, the screen shows four birds and then quizzes you by playing the bird song and you pick the bird you think it is. If you match them correctly, it moves you on to the next song. If you miss it, you have a chance to replay the bird’s song and then continue with the game. You are allowed to choose which birds to learn and in what sequence by choosing groups of birds like birds with simple songs, birds with complex songs, songs with repeated notes, etc. I am working my way through the simple and complex sets with some success.

You can see a video of how the Gallery Game and the Field Game work: Larkwire Introduction Video.

There is also a Search and Browse feature which lets you enter a bird’s name and then click over to hear calls and read a bit more about its distinctive song by state. You can also browse by category like hawks, owls, and woodpeckers. This is such a fun way to learn more about each bird family, learning which birds are related to each other.

The images used in these apps are stunningly clear and brilliant. I have enjoyed browsing the images which I know will also help me learn more birds that I can eventually identify.

Larkwire Apps I Reviewed
Backyard Birder (California Top 25) allows you to choose your region/state and gives you the top twenty-five birds to learn. Priced at $3.95 for the desktop version and customizable to your region. The iTunes version is 99 cents and you customize it once you start to use it (per Phil at Larkwire). This was more than enough to get me started with my local birds and I highly recommend purchasing the songpack that is appropriate for your area. Don’t be surprised if after using this songpack when you hear your children identifying birds by ear…they pick up on them really fast!

Master Birder (land birds) allows you to select your level (beginner, intermediate, advanced, or master) and a song pack with 344 songs. Priced at $24.95 for the desktop version and from iTunes $14.99. I think this songpack will last me a very long time. There are so many birds to learn and to enjoy over the months and years to come.

There are many songpacks available allowing you to choose just what you need and can afford.

Not sure if your children will like Larkwire apps? Go ahead and try their free starter pack with 21 birds. You will not be disappointed.

The app is available in the iTunes store- look up Larkwire. This app is also available for your desktop computer but you need to purchase it through the website.

For more information about how to purchase and whether it will work on your device, see the Larkwire website.

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Barb — 4 Comments

Spring Birds and Blue Skies

We had a flock of Cedar Waxwings come through yesterday and I was able to capture some pretty images of them up in the trees. They don’t ever stay long but I love to watch them…..we usually hear them before we spy them up in the trees. They have such a distinct sound.

So enjoy a couple of images of my friends the Cedar Waxwings.

They came on a Project Feederwatch day when I was observing the feeders. We have had fewer birds but more of a variety now that the season is changing. I say bring on the springtime weather!

The trees all continue to pop out with colors and this finch was spotted up in the tree just singing away.

What a great time of year to observe some birds and record the experiences in your nature journal.

So what birds have you seen in your yard this week?

Category: Backyard Birds