New bird!

Spring is about to spring here in Chicago, but today, I saw a new bird - but one that spends the winter here: a horned lark! Such a cool looking bird, with its little face mask and horns.

The mourning doves started coo-ing 3 weeks early here - I am still hoping that means an early spring!

Rumblings of Spring

The red-winged blackbirds came back March 2nd. The robins came back March 6th.

On March 10th, their grackle buddies showed up, and on March 11th, the mourning doves started cooing again.

Spring is in the air!

Cold and Windy

Hello, birds! How about a 30+ degree temperature drop and some 45mph wind gusts to get you into the holiday spirit?

Oy the poor birds! Yesterday, they hardly ate anything out of the feeders, having free range in the 50 degree temps and vanishing snow cover. Overnight, the temperature dropped into the teens and the wind picked up. Today, they've eaten me out of house and home and probably could have eaten more - but I didn't want to go out and scare them all away to refill the feeders, figuring they were still foraging on the ground and seemed to be doing alright. Daylight is just about gone, and only a few stragglers are left at the feeders. I don't know how they survive these cold winters!

They had a hard time with the wind today.

Check out this cardinal - the wind was blowing from the west, left to right as you look at this photo:


No, he's not posing! That's the wind blowing him!

He had a much easier time on the platform feeder, but still you can see his crown feathers blowing left to right:


I was really worried for the mourning doves. Three times, they took off to fly away and one ran into the house, blown off course by the wind. None were stunned - I don't think they hit head first as they were trying to fly away from the house but the wind gusts threw them backwards. They all continued flying away, but still - it can't be good for their poor little bodies to take that beating. They're the only ones left in the yard now, scrounging for the last of the seeds off the ground.

The most poofed out mourning dove EVER:


It surprises me that only a few starlings visit per day. I've seen the whole flock a few times (I've counted 17 of them), but they rarely come en masse. More often, 2 or 3 show up, and they stick to either the nut/seed bell over in the tree, or the suet feeder. They really don't bother the smaller birds, contrary to their reputations. They do fight with each other a lot, though!



I finally got a shot of the American Tree Sparrow. I was able to confirm the American Tree Sparrow ID today, as this one faced me a few times and I was able to see the dark spot on its chest through my binoculars. I think (s)he is a loner. I've never seen more than one here. It's nice to have some variety in the winter.



The American Tree Sparrow nests in northern Canada, but unlike those Common Redpolls, these sparrows do migrate south to the US every winter. It's hard to imagine flying south into Chicago and stopping. I just want to say to these guys, "Keep flying! Just a little longer! It's warmer down there!" I know it's all relative, but the current 18 degrees F can't feel warm to too many people (or birds!) I'm already chilled to the bone thinking of filling the feeders tonight. I think I'll go out a bit early, as soon as night falls and the birds are gone.

The winds are really howling out there. Tomorrow's high is 27F and hopefully the winds will die down a bit.

Saturday Birding

Saturday's Back Yard Birding

By golly, I do believe that I've got BOTH a sharp shinned hawk AND a Cooper's hawk visiting my yard! All this time, I thought they were all the same hawk. Earlier this summer, I had a hawk ID'd as a juvenile Coop. Then, this fall/winter, I've had a hawk visitor ID'd as a very young adult Sharp shinned hawk.

Today, I had a visit from this guy, and I think it's an adult Coop! (red eye)


I'm going with Cooper's because his crown is dark but the back of his neck is more pale, giving him a more capped appearance. The Sharpie has more of a dark neck on the back for a more hooded appearance. This one also has a rounded tail, whereas Sharpies have a more square tail.

So, I think I have multiple hawk visitors!

The white crowned sparrow was back:




And I think he may have a female with him today!


And of course, I couldn't resist snapping a shot of the poofy mourning dove:

Two Mystery Birds in a Row!

Indeed, two days in a row I've been presented with a new Mystery Bird in my back yard. Hoorah!

I think I might have this one figured out:

Mystery bird! A white crowned sparrow?

A White Crowned Sparrow, maybe?

A few European Starlings stopped by for a snack, but didn't stay long. They didn't bother the smaller birds and moved along after a few minutes. Their reputation has me nervous, but I enjoyed their visit today.


Snackin' Starling

Heck, the Starlings might even make some friends around here. This male cozied up with a Mourning Dove.

Friends!

My favorite shot of the day:

Napping Mourning Dove

The dove had his nap AFTER the visits from the hawk! There is still debate on what kind of hawk this is. One of these days, I'm going to get a good enough shot of it that there will be a definitive identification! I still tend to think it's a Cooper's Hawk, but others have suggested that he's a Sharp Shinned Hawk or a Northern Goshawk. I'm pretty sure it's between Cooper's and Sharpie, but even when I read that page describing the two side by side, I still come away conflicted!


Dear Hawk, Who are you?!

The feeders are busy and the tree is hoppin' as I get ready to head out to work. I swear I could watch birds all day!

Stalking the Stalker

This morning started out like most mornings. I filled the feeders (I'm filling a couple with black oil sunflower seed and a couple with a "gourmet" mixed seed) and watched the incoming mob of house sparrows.



These are the guys I affectionately referred to as "ice cream heads" before I had identified them. Hey, their caps remind me of chocolate vanilla swirl sundaes! What can I say? It's a big ol' sparrow party around here.



I plugged in the heated bird bath today. When I checked it this morning, it was frozen. Time to turn on the juice! The bird bath stayed firmly mounted through the windy weather the other day. I was quite pleased.



The day carried on. The slate colored dark eyed juncos visited (my new favorite backyard bird), and the ducks came for their usual mid-day lunch. This male got seeds all over his head - messy eater.



The females were a bit more discreet. I believe these are Mallards.



As afternoon approached, I saw a first in my yard: mourning doves, in the tree! They hung out here all summer, sitting on the deck railing or on the ground, but not once did I see them in the tree.

3 doves in a row


All of a sudden, I heard the whoosh of a flock full of birds flying up and over my house. I looked out the window, and the tree was bare... except for a hawk! I think this is an immature Cooper's Hawk, but I'm not sure. If anybody knows for sure, please leave a comment!



The hawk stayed for a good half hour or so, and I went outside ever so quietly to try to get some better pictures of it. The trees blocked most shots, but I got a few where you could see those piercing eyes.

It was a lot like stalking the stalker. I watched the hawk through the binoculars for a while, and he was very definitely looking for a bird to eat. After a while, a cat came up to the brush, also stalking the hawk!

The hawk finally left, and within a few minutes, all of the other birds came back to the feeders.

Upon return, I finally saw more house finches! I'd been afraid that the one male that was hanging around was alone, but today he had 3 other males and a few females with him. He's no longer a loner.



As night fell, the ducks swam off and the birds nestled into the trees. I'm left to wonder what they're all doing now.