As we still sit on the see-saw of very unpredictable weather, our birds still manage to figure it out and get back to their chosen gardens or nesting sites. Of course, along with their arrivals, we have to re-adjust our various feeders’ positions to accommodate the various varieties of bird, what they like to feed on and also where they like to do it. This is especially so with my hanging feeders which have to be juggled to cater for the Hummingbirds since they use a different type of feeder than the seed eaters and also prefer to be away from the rest at a good safe height. Once this has been done, it is just a case of waiting for them to appear, unless they beat you to it! I usually use the date of May 12th as a guessing time for the arrival of the Ruby Throated Hummingbirds, but this year they beat me to it and arrived on May 10th. I subsequently had to quickly re-adjust my own planning, or lack thereof, to accommodate their early arrival. This was soon achieved and all that was left to do was for the seed eating birds to get used to the new configuration.
The affected birds were the Finches, Chipping Sparrow, Chickadees, and the Woodpeckers, but they didn’t take too long to adjust their different feeding spots and now everyone can get to the food quite comfortably. The Hummingbirds have the prime central spot above the others and a really great viewing spot from our point of view.
I commenced writing this article on a busy afternoon when, just before I was about to try and close it down this morning, my wife spotted in the back garden a couple of different looking birds. Well, they were different and they were Brown Thrashers and a real treat to see in the early morning sunshine as they hopped about ground feeding in the grass. Their beautiful rufous brown coloured feathers and their bright yellow eyes really showed up in the sunshine. They stayed for quite a while and I was able to get one or two good pictures of them from our swimming pool deck where I had very quietly managed to get myself to get a better view. of them.
Whilst watching the Thrashers, other birds made themselves evident to me particularly a couple of Robins, a Cowbird and a couple of Bluebirds, one of which appeared to be a very young one in its im- mature plumage, but old enough to be flying very proficiently. Presumably, the adult bird was still keeping an eye out for its offspring, as they both departed together to go to a neighbour’s garden. Quite neat to see and enjoy in the cool sunbathed setting of our backyard garden. I hope that you too are experiencing some of the natural pleasures that are ours to behold if we just take the opportunity to take a few minutes to do so. Stay safe and well. Cheers,
John Baldwin
