Despite the best efforts of a gang of grackles, we’ve had a flurry of backyard bird activity this morning.
There’s a tufted titmouse, which I don’t think I’ve seen at our feeders before, along with robins, house sparrows, chipping sparrows, a song sparrow, cardinals, finches of both the house and gold varieties, dark-eyed juncos, black-capped chickadees, a blue jay, a Carolina wren, and the mourning doves that never seem to leave.
The woodpeckers are missing, though the squirrels (five of them!) are making short work of the suet anyway.
And, last night, I saw a small hawk flying just above the brush along the ravine.
UPDATE: The red-bellied woodpecker showed up, another titmouse came by, and I can add a red-winged blackbird to the list! What a day.
Photo courtesy of Bebelebe.
Smith Family Weblog 
Posted by Mom on March 29, 2008 at 4:15 pm
I’m pretty sure we had a male Northern Harrier in our cherry tree very early on Thursday morning. I had to get the binocs to focus on him since it was just daylight. He flew off staying close to the ground, so I’m pretty sure he was a Harrier. This afternoon, the sparrows were making a feast of the remainder of the suet cakes until a downy woodpecker chased them off. A male red-bellied woodpecker is on the plug feeder now. The finch feeders are swinging empty. No doubt, our freeloaders will be glad we have returned to replenish their food!
Posted by smithfamilyweblog on March 29, 2008 at 4:46 pm
we also had brown-headed cowbirds and white-throated sparrows.
bryan
Posted by Karyl on March 29, 2008 at 7:29 pm
We saw our first Chipping Sparrow yesterday! All the rest of the usual suspects still hanging around. The mourning doves, bluebirds, meadowlarks and redwing blackbirds are certainly more abundant.
Posted by smithfamilyweblog on March 30, 2008 at 10:41 am
Mom, Katie and I saw a Northern Harrier on the way into town the last time we were at your house–it was just a mile north(?) of the lake.
They were all over Wisconsin. We thought they were just unidentifiable hawks, but once Doug and Jack pointed out a few defining characteristics, we saw them everywhere.
Posted by Doug Smith on April 1, 2008 at 5:10 am
I saw Meadowlarks yesterday for the first time and it was very intense. I have a feeling they arrive en masse and start an intense territorial process. we’re also getting Purple Finches, which are really more interesting than house finches. And flickers, which are absolutely mammoth on a feeder.