Today, I spotted my first Catbird of the year taking a drink from the
birdbath. And early this morning, a Great Blue Heron flew over the woods in
my backyard! That was a big surprise and a first here!
Pine Siskins are still around. I counted 22 on my feeders today and 23
yesterday.
Blue Jays usually arrive first thing in the morning to get the peanuts I set
out for them. I think they are SO beautiful; like a bits of the blue sky
come down to earth. Well, this morning I thought the sky was falling. I
had 7 of them all at once. They are so funny, too. They will pick up a
peanut then try really hard to get another. Once in a while they succeed.
Today, one of them stuffed a peanut nearly down his throat and then grabbed
another. Most of the time they will pick one up then see a bigger one, set
the first one down then pick up the next and so on, trying to get the
biggest. Blue Jays are the first birds I ever remember seeing. When I was
two, my grandmother used to hold me up to the window to watch them eat from
the feeder. There were probably other birds there but the jays caught all
my attention. For years I thought she fed them brown sugar. Well, that's
what it looked like to me. :)
On Monday the 20th I had House Wren sit for a minute of the deck railing.
It was the first ever in my yard, which may sound surprising.
Then yesterday (Tuesday) I watched a T. Vulture circling slowly above the
trees finally landing in a tall pine. Moments later, he zoomed out with an
angry crow on his tail and away they went over the house. Meanwhile another
vulture that I had not even noticed flew off from the same pine in the other
direction. I wonder what that was all about!
A male RT hummer has been coming to the feeder daily and a female has showed
up twice since the 18th. Two Chipping Sparrows have been coming early in
the morning and then again late in the evening.
Happy Earth Day!
Nancy Young
Botetourt County
