The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #87684   Message #1735393
Posted By: lamarca
08-May-06 - 12:05 PM
Thread Name: BS: Birdwatching Challenge
Subject: RE: BS: Birdwatching Challenge
The warblers are passing through - I watched a Ruby-crowned Kinglet darting out from our little willow oak sapling to eat insects, and heard a Northern Parula across the street (Bzzzzwheeep!).

Our cardinal babies all went away, but there are fledgelings around the house begging for food - don't know if they're the front yard brood or from another nest...

My yard list for April - early May:
Rock Dove (AKA pigeon, "sky rat")
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift (heard only)
Downy Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crows, being irately pursued by 2 mockingbirds
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Robin
Northern Mockingbird
Gray Catbird (are there any other colors?)
European Starling (sigh - too many)
Northern Parula (heard only)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (AKA "Butter-butt")
Northern Cardinal
White-throated Sparrow (they seem to be sticking around and calling from trees - maybe nesting?)
Song Sparrow
Rufous-sided Towhee (heard only - I refuse to call them the boring official "Eastern Towhee" name)
Brown-headed Cowbird (boo. hiss.)
Common Grackle
House Sparrow - too many - they nest in my neighbor's attic...
American Goldfinch
Little Brown Bat (not a bird, but I always like seeing the First Bat of Spring. When it's warm, we sit on our deck through sunset, waiting for the First Bat of the Evening. I don't know where they roost, but I'm glad they're there to eat up the mosquitos.)

Not bad, considering I don't have any feeders out. Still haven't seen our first hummingbird, although our native honeysuckle is blooming up a storm...