I’m really excited to tell you about the new “visitor” that has taken up permanent residence this past week in my backyard.
In fact, I’m going to forego any more introductory material in this email and get right to it.
This Week in the Backyard
A few days ago, I received a bird feeder with a camera included. It’s not the brand you’ve probably seen advertised on Facebook. (I’m not revealing the actual brand for now. Maybe later.) But it seems to be a very good quality device.
Since the full story is much too long for a newsletter….
Read all the details about my installation of the camera here. (First photo included.)
What to Watch For This Week
Last week I asked you, “Are there any birds you haven’t seen because they’ve already moved away for the season?”
And then I said, “I just noticed that I didn’t see a robin today.”
Little did I know…well, see the “From the Backyard Bird Tracker” section below for more about this.
Meanwhile, here’s a new question for you: How many of each common species do you usually see?
For example, I’ve been regularly seeing 6 to 8 House Finches and House Sparrows.
Backyard Moment
Mourning Doves, House Finches, and House Sparrows are so common in my backyard that I tend to ignore them and look eagerly for those that don’t show up quite as often or in such quantities.
A tine Ruby-throated Hummingbird is always a welcome sight. So is the raucous Blue Jay and quiet Downy Woodpecker.
A quiet woodpecker?
Yes, actually I only hear him when he’s up in a tree relatively far away. When he visits the suet feeder, he’s quiet as a mouse, so to speak.
The other day, I think he surprised a House Finch. Take a look…
Doesn’t that finch look scared to death?
He hunkered down there the whole time the woodpecker was eating the suet. I’d never seen behavior like this before. Have you?
Journal Prompt
Which common bird do you think deserves more attention?
If I had to pick one, I’d probably choose the House Sparrow, though the House Finch would be a close second.
From the Backyard Bird Tracker
I wouldn’t be able to tell you the following fact if I hadn’t been using my Backyard Bird Tracker app.
I haven’t seen an American Robin in my backyard (or anywhere else, for that matter) since August 7. That’s just over 2 weeks.
Now, maybe I’ve just not been looking at the right time, but I’m pretty sure the robins are making themselves scarce, staying closer to their homes.
The List Controls in the Recent Sightings section of the app lets me filter the list to just show American Robin (or any species) sightings. That’s how I can easily see which days I’ve spotted a robin.
Without the app, if you’d have asked me when I last saw a robin, I would probably have said, “Oh, last week, I guess.”
And I’d have been wrong.
Carrot Patch Update #2
Sprouts!
I’ve got carrot sprouts. Lots of them actually. I kinda surprised myself.
With my track record (not good) related to getting things to grow, I really wasn’t expecting to see what I’m seeing. Maybe I’ll share some pics of them at harvest time.