Backyard Visitors

It is certainly spring and we are getting a lot of visitors to the backyard feeders as well as just hanging out generally. Above is a red-breasted nuthatch identified by the black eye stripe.

A pine siskin with a black oil sunflower seed in its beak.


A spotted towhee, one of my favorites, with a worm in it's mouth. Formerly called a rufous sided towhee.

A male wild turkey, a common visitor can be pretty intimidating as he stands about 4 feet tall when he puts his head up.


The common and very friendly black-capped chickadee. Will literally eat out of your hand.


The chickadee can have some really interesting coloring, as seen in the brown on the back of this individual.


A rare visitor to the area was this Northern Goshawk seen a few days ago.


This individual is probably a juvenile. The numerous bars on its tail and wings make it a very distinct bird. A powerful hunter, it's wingspan is between 3 and 4 feet!



Here is a red-breasted sapsucker. There is a pair nesting nearby. Almost as good as a rooster in the mornings!


Among the many ducks are the beautiful wood ducks which visit on the river in the slow sheltered areas. We have also seen Hooded Merganser in the last couple of days but I didn't get the shot.


Another shot of a spotted towhee.


Here is a song sparrow. One of the most beautiful songs you will ever hear!


Also plentiful are the golden crowned and as shown here the white crowned sparrow.


Of course we see many of the American Robin's on the lawn. This one obviously just ate!


Of course there are the common house finch. One of the most beautiful of all birds to see in the spring!


Another shot of a pine siskin.


The very noisy and big Stellar Jay. Notice the skid marks on the forehead often overlooked when we are not looking close.


Fun to see them with the thistle seed in the mouth.


We have a bunch of the downy woodpeckers that are becoming very friendly.


Usually shy, they are getting to the point that they don't even fly off when we go outside.


Lots more finches, ducks, hawks, etc. are being seen every day. Unless someone tells me to stop, I will add more later.