Birds in the birdbath lately...

Wow...just saw the first bluebirds at the birdbath just now and hot on their tails, one of the black flycatchers. I've never paid that much attention to when the various birds show up or where they come from, but it's fun to see new arrivals. The robins have been around for awhile now and just in the last week or so a whole flock of unknown-to-me birds who hit the birdbath in numbers of 8 or more all at once, having great fun. I need to have more birdbaths....

Now there's a tanager hogging the bath for himself, no, the bluebirds are back...and a bunny hopping past my French doors. They all think it's spring....the birdbath is a real 'hot spot' in the mornings. I read this week that it's been shown that people in hospitals who can look out a window and see nature require less pain meds......

Robins have arrived en masse here as of today. I've never seen a bluebird :( but we get lots of others. Right now we have chickadees and pine siskins in the liquidambars and crape myrtles, and the Anna's hummers are hitting the feeders regularly. Yesterday there was a lone seagull circling and crying (it seemed lost) and it was periodically being chased by a red-tailed hawk.

I've never gotten a bluebird...I keep hoping. I think we're in too suburban a setting to get all the "cool" birds you guys get. I've gotten a Western tanager a couple of times which was really exciting. A short-legged crane, too. But lots of warblers and goldfinches, plus the usual birds in my birdbath that I rigged up with a dripper (a bird magnet). I received a really nice shallow birdbath with a spray feature for Christmas that I just set out in another part of the yard and am looking forward to seeing the birds discover it.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is coming up February 12-15!

http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc

Top: yellow warbler, post-bath.
Bottom: an admittedly blurry yellow-rumped warbler, mid-bath.

(Sorry about the DG stuff obscuring the bird at the top...now I know I need to not crop things so closely...)

This message was edited Apr 8, 2010 11:07 AM

I've seen bluebirds this week and DH just rehabbed the pond in front of the kitchen, so we should be seeing some more interesting visitors. Quite a few orioles this year.

We've still got a big flock of Cedar Waxwings in the neighbor's eucalyptus---I expect the orioles will arrive shortly after the waxwings migrate.

Our usual orioles have not shown this year....they always nest in the palm tree. We do have our resident roadrunner who comes up and down the drive, always with a lizard hanging from his beak....showing off...lol..

Haven't seen our RR yet - hope the construction doesn't disturb his habitat. :-(

Haven't seen them in the birdbath, but I can hear our orioles in the euc next door. I think they're just settling in, so haven't seen much of them, either. Right now I think we still have cedar waxwings duking it out with them---it's been pretty exciting!

Had the great pleasure of watching two young males interact this morning. Rarely get to see any of them for long, since they flit off at the merest movement. These guys were on a wire hanging out while I had breakfast - they looked like a couple of teen boys punching each other and tossing insults. How grateful am I this morning for where I live? ^_^

KaperC I have to say AMEN to your statement, "How grateful am I this morning for where I live?" I echo that sentiment every morning when I get up and look out the front window from my throne (couch) to the multitude of birds on our feeders and ground. It makes my heart sing!

Sylvia

Still not in the birdbath, but....

Woohoo! The orioles must be arriving!

This is a first year male Scott's, I believe.

Great photos, surf----I've never seen that variety here.
Amazingly, we still have cedar waxwings----usually long gone by this time of year!