Yesterday my backyard was full of DARK-EYED JUNCOS. There must have been 30 or more scolding each other with their "laser gun" tew-tew-tew sounds. Most of the winter there never seemed to be more than 4 to 6 around at a time. Their songs filled the warm spring air!
A YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER enjoyed the sap running down our maple tree. A BROWN CREEPER made a brief appearance before being chased away by one of our frequent RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES. A SONG SPARROW perched and sang for a minute or two in the maple. Two gorgeous FOX SPARROWS were kick-scratch foraging underneath our row of pines.
A total of 21 backyard bird species, which also included BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS.
Dark-eyed Junco
House Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Brown Creeper
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Black-capped Chickadee
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Hairy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
American Robin
Northern Cardinal
Blue Jay
American Crow
Common Grackle
Red-winged Blackbird (fly over)
Brown-headed Cowbird
Mourning Dove
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Killdeer (fly over)
Dark-eyed Junco image © 2005 Michael Allen McDowell