The Futile Crescent

Wow , just saw a smallish Pileated Woodpecker on our big tree ! Haven't seen one since we sold the old house and moved here in 2019 .

First Grey Catbird I've seen this year . Recognized his call before I saw him .

First American Goldfinch male I've seen this year in breeding plumage .

Birds of The Crescent

Northern Mockingbird
Mourning Dove
Northern Cardinal M F
Eastern Bluebird M F
European Starling M F
Carolina Wren
Carolina Chickadee
White Breasted Nuthatch
Common Grackle
Red Bellied Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Tufted Titmouse
American Robin
House Finch M F
Yellow Rumpled Warbler

Male and female Eastern Bluebirds at the suet .

I miss that yard !

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It's a dove kind of Mourning here in The Futile Crescent.

The mourning dive approves of the new seed tray.

"If you suet , they will come ." First Eastern bluebird I've seen since we bought this house in 2019 . I may have to put up a nest box , seeing the parents bring fledglings to the suet is really cool .

A couple of ground feeders, mourning doves, on the new seed tray . And , yes , I need to remove the starlings calling cards .

Put out a third suet feeder and added a seed tray to the tube feeder . I'll replace one suet cage with a hummingbird feeder in a few months. Previous experience has shown that Cardinals and a mourning doves or two will leave the ground for the seed tray . They'll be easier to see from my scale model bench window . Still some ferns hanging on through the winter . Daffodils on the south side of the house are ahead of those on the west side .

Four mourning doves picking up the pieces under the bird feeders .

Talk about hutig over a baited field !

Downy woodpecker on the suet . Finally got a picture of the little feller . Like all woodpeckers , it's using its stiff tail feathers to prop itself up .

No birds right now , but the variety has picked up this week . In addition to the usual house finches on the feeders and mourning doves under them , I've seen a downy woodpecker, white breasted nut hatches, tufted titmouse and Carolina chickadees . Dark Eyed Juncos , snowbirds , have also arrived south to scratch under the feeders .

Didn't get a picture , but a new bird in The Futile Crescent today . A downt woodpecker eating at the suet feeder . First one I've seen at this house .

I had not refilled my bird feeders for a lo g while because European Starlings were running off other birds , except for one persistent Grey Catbird . They also left droppings all over the pole and baffle . Filled them about three weeks ago and saw nothing until yesterday, when a house finch ate some sunflower seeds . This morning , there were a house finch and tufted titmouse on the feeders and three mourning doves pecking the ground underneath. Hoping some of the other birds will be back .

Bird sightings

Northern Cardinals
House finches
Robins
European Starlings
Red Bellied woodpecker
Mockingbirds
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Wren
Northern Thrashers
Grey Catbirds
Common Grackles
Sparrows (so many little brown birds !
)

Now that I'm retired , I put my bird feeders back up today . Hung the suet feeder at an angle instead of vertically . Had heard a Grey Catbird thus morning and hoped it would come to the suet . Which it did . Later , it chased a second Catbird away from the suet. I hoped the Brown Thrasher from the other day would also come to the suet . It not only came to the feeder but took suet to the fence and fed a juvenile. Soon , a smaller adult was also taking suet and feeding a second juvenile on the fence .
Now that I'm retired, I'm looking forward to seeing birds all week now and not just on the weekends.