[Birdtalk] Our Backyard Birds

[Brenda Kidman]

Since I posted about the importance of backyard birding I thought I
would give an update about our backyard.

We have at least four nesting pairs of BULLOCKS ORIOLES and have
started seeing babies.  There is a new female that was gathering
nesting materials as recently as Monday so there will be more soon.
They are so cute when they are learning to perch on the nectar
feeders.  There are so many beautiful breeding males we just sit on
the deck and listen to them calling for various areas of the yard,
trying to delineate their territory.

We have sooo many BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRDS that is is unreal.  In
the evening we have swarms like the one I showed on that Youtube on
two of the three feeders.  We have seen Broadtail Hummers stop by to
eat, but they don't seem to hang around.

To give you an idea of the volume of nectar we are talking about, my
husband and I were out of town June 4-8.  I made nectar for my son
before we left so he wouldn't have to.  He went through over a GALLON
of nectar in five days.  Granted, it was very cold that week so they
may have been eating more than usual, but that is about our regular
amount of nectar.

We have a lot of MOURNING DOVES and they are quite aggressive with the
other birds that eat under the seed feeders., they definitely feel at
home, there are still a lot of RED WING BLACKBIRDS, BREWER'S
BLACKBIRDS, we have been seeing a few COMMON GRACKLES, bagilions of
HOUSE FINCHES with cute little pinfeathered babies, LESSER AND
AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES which are both in full nesting mode (I have gone
through almost two nesting balls this spring), lots of BROWN HEADED
COWBIRDS, tons of HOUSE SPARROWS, a couple of CASSIN'S FINCHES, our
BLACK CAPPED CHICKADEES pop in and out, we have at least two pairs of
WESTERN KINGBIRDS that are nesting now, we had a pair of WESTERN SCRUB
JAYS stop by but we don't encourage them when there are babies being
born, the BLACK BILLED MAGPIE is repeatedly run off by the blackbirds
as well, the BLACK HEADED GROSBEAKS are back finally and of course the
ubiquitous STARLINGS with their loud noisy brood following them around
harshly demanding to be fed.

It's a lot of fun to watch them.  We never know when we are going to
have someone new show up to the party so the binoculars are always at
the back door for easy access.

Brenda
South Weber