I’m seeing more birds, and a greater variety of bird species, than I’ve ever seen in my yard before.
Typically I don’t get a lot of bird variety at my back yard bird feeders. House Sparrows, House Finches and European Starlings predominate, with a splattering of other species on occasion. I live close to the Jordan River, so it’s always been my theory that many birds prefer the riparian habitat of the river over my fairly typical suburban yard.
In springtime I usually get a few more birds and more species variety but nothing like I’m getting this year. For the last ten days or so, my back yard has been popping with birds, more birds and more species than I’ve ever seen in my yard before.
So far there have been several minor surprises and two major surprises.
All photos below were taken through windows so they’re lacking in quality. Some are worse than others, for reasons I’ll explain.
Readers already know about the lifer pair of migrating Evening Grosbeaks I found at my feaders three days ago. Well, they’re still here. This photo of the male was taken yesterday and I saw both the male and the female several times the day before too.
And yesterday I was blown away when I realized that there were two males in my yard, in addition to the female. This is the second male. I distinguish him from the original male by the extra spot of yellow behind his yellow supercilium over his eye.
This photo and the following photo are distorted and blurry because the grosbeaks were on my deck railing, which meant I had to photograph them at a side angle through the glass of my patio door. That old glass has seen better days, which resulted in distorted photos. But they’re good enough to document the presence of the grosbeaks.
This photo is even worse but it shows the female and one of the males together on my railing yesterday.
A little later in the day yesterday I was in for another huge surprise. I’d been grocery shopping, so I walked into my kitchen with both hands carrying bags of groceries and before I even put them on the counter I looked out my kitchen window to see what birds might be at my feeders.
I immediately saw a splash of unexpected blue. Lazuli blue.
There was a male Lazuli Bunting chowing down at my sunflower seed feeder. He isn’t quite in full breeding plumage but he’s close. I’ve lived in my house for over 30 years and I don’t remember ever seeing a Lazuli Bunting in my yard, or even in my neighborhood. Yes, my little heart was going pitter-pat.
I pay big bucks for high quality bird seed that I purchase from my friend Kelli Frame at her Wild Birds Unlimited store. Maybe quality seed has made a difference. Whatever the reason, I intend to continue buying primo seed from Kelli.
If I have to mortgage my house to do it, so be it. 🙂
Ron
Note: My old friend? Bandito is one of the reasons I go through so much expensive bird seed. He finally learned to outfox (outsquirrel?) the Slinky I’ve installed on my feeder pole, so he’s been getting much more than his fair share of seed.
Edit, 8:20 AM: I just now looked out my window and this is the scene that greeted me. You see part of my (now ineffective) Slinky at lower right.
Ron,
It would appear that we frequent the same Wild Birds Unlimited store. It is about 3/4 of a mile away from my house. Maybe someday ….
Stephen
Steven, as far as I know it’s the only one in Utah. It’s a fairly long drive for me but worth it.
Hi Ron>what fun to see your new visitors/beauties❣️
I live in the redwood forest of Scott’s Valley, ca. My husband try’s to keep our carport hanging feeder full …We get black headed juncos, chickadees, yellow canary type bird, sparrows AND the stellars jays and red headed woodpecker pair try earnestly to get in there too, tho I think the perch’s are too short…So they pick up the spilled seed on the ground. Robins do that too.
We have beautiful wine barrels full of lovely bamboo near feeder…it’s like a Chinese brush painting scene! So much fun to watch them .
My job is to keep the big birdbath nearby, with fresh well water ❣️
Ps I tried putting my new website: fitz-studio.com in , but it keep
saying to add url!
Sounds like you have an excellent setup for watching birds, Carolyn. Enjoy it.
Serendipity begins in your own backyard! What a handsome bunting! Hope the new feeder is Bandito-proof. (Although, “squillas” are pretty smart, so it may not be for long — and I can think of a few nouns that you might put after the “little.” 😉😈). We’re still sharing the oranges off our tree with the squirrels — one young one, in particular — and opossums.
Marty, this particular feeder has an excellent reputation for being squirrel proof. But as they say, the proof is in the pudding.
I will confirm that we are having a really good spring, and last winter too, at our home in the Wasatch Back near Midway. Numbers and variety are exceptional – we have kept a nature calendar for 20 years to see arrival and seasonal departure times and species. We have had a flock of Pine siskins numbering literally in the hundreds busting our sunflower seed budget all winter. They are an irruptive species that changes its location in winter habitat and they have definitely decided now is the time for our micro-habitat. And the Cooper’s hawks and other predators have followed suit. Also the dozen or more manmade Osprey nests are full up with Ospreys making more Ospreys. Avian life is great right now in the Wasatch Back. I am glad you see the same.
Art, I “see the same” in my yard right now but it sure hasn’t been that way in my birding haunts in the valleys this winter. Bids were very slow. That’s part of what delighted me so much when I started seeing so many birds in my yard.
How absolutely wonderful. I hear you on the pitter patter of a speeded up heart beat too.
Sadly we get new and ‘different’ birds at our feeders most often when conditions in the wild are less than optimal. During our fires for example we got lots of newbies.
I also hear you on the bird caviar. We spend a lot on bird seed – and don’t begrudge it at all.
EC, for me it helps that all that money for bird seed is going to a friend who owns the store. I’m not sure why, but it does.
Wonderful yard birds, I am so happy for you to have new feathered guests! I have a great assortment of birds but usually do for spring migration. My location, next to Red Butte gully, my landscaping along with seed and food offerings. One bird I get into my yard but can not entice to a feeder is orioles. I have even weathered and released rehab orioles in my yard but none like my jelly and orange feeders. The house finches and occasional western tanagers are the only takers. I have a yard full of Luzulis but they are very jumpy this year. The light is also very poor with the storms we have had.
April, I’ve never had any luck at all with Bullock’s Orioles and jelly feeders or oranges. But they are attracted to my hummingbird feeders.
Wonderful birds to have at your feeder. We do get Evening Grosbeaks from time to time. They were more common (sometimes 40+ at a time) at old address than at our current location. The past home was a bit higher elevation and more in the woods. With that many you can just watch the seed going down in the feeder. I don’t have to go far away to find Lazuli Buntings but I’fe never had one at my feeder. What a treat.
Good seed does make a difference. Full disclosure – You know this but for other readers, Barbara and I own 2 Wild Birds Unllimited stores here in Eugene, Oregon. Our costs have significantly gone up but quality does make a difference. It’s sometimes hard to convince people, until they try it, that it matters what you get. “Cheap” seed is often really more expensive because it contains mostly filler, like milo or wheat, instead of the food birds really want to eat. I’m sure Kelli can show you some baffles that also work well for keeping squirreos off of feeders as well as hot pepper products, which do work well. (I have a whole article I wrote for our customers explaining how this works.) We have one place we allow squirrels (we enjoy them too) but all of the other feeders have safe ways to prevent them from being reached except by the birds. I hope these great birds, and maybe some new one, keep coming for you.
Dan, I visited Kelli’s store this morning and came home with a “squirrel-proof feeder”. I’m looking forward to seeing how well it works.
I tried a couple of hot pepper worm and nut logs and the eastern fox squirrels still ate them, slower but yes it was gone in 4 days rather than one. My best solution is I buy a less expensive seed for one feeder for the squirrels with whole shelled peanuts, whole sunflower hearts and white millet along with some cracked corn. The squirrels seem to eat at that platform and leave the other feeders with higher quality shelled seed, sunflower hearts, peanut pieces and some shelled white millet, and nyger alone. My other solution for my suet feeder nut and worm log is hanging on the freestanding basket ball hoop the kids outgrew and animals seem unable to climb.
April, I suspect the pole for the basketball hoop is too big around for them to get a grip on it.
Have you washed and polished your windows in celebration of these delightful sightings?! Am thinking I need to upgrade my seed game! The seed I purchase from my local ACE hardware is certainly not ‘bird caviar!’ 😀
Kathleen, yesterday I washed the inside of my kitchen window and of my patio door but the outsides are still dirty. It’s been raining on and off for three days so I’ll wait until it quits to do the outsides.
I think “bird caviar” is worth the money but it sure isn’t cheap.
Both Ravens and Squirrels will do whatever it takes to outfox we humans when it comes to feeders. Good story and photos. We too use premium seed etc provided by our Jay’s Bird Barn here in Prescott now called The Lookout.
Everett, I don’t get ravens (or crows) in my yard but I do get a few magpies There was one at the feeder yesterday. It wasn’t eating anything so I think it was just curious about what was causing all the bird activity at my feeder.
While Lazuli Buntings are common here in coast range Northern Cal all summer, I’ve only ever had one at my feeder. I’m told they like safflower seeds. I like that rusty look of not-quite-fully turned to breeding colors.
“One at my feeder” is all I’ve had so far too, Ann. Hopefully there’ll be more.
New yard birds are the best! Ask Kelli about the hot pepper seed blends. Squirrels and raccoons leave it alone, but the birds love it. Expensive, but worth it!
Thanks for the recommendation, Diane. I’ll probably be going to WBU today. Don’t want to let Bandito go hungry…
I definitely get the pitter patter…. I had a Black-headed grosbeak the other day… a first for me. I think you’re right, I also purchase the caviar bird seed from Wild Birds Unlimited and they love it.
“Caviar bird seed”. You’ve got that right.
Luv it! 🙂 SO much fun when “strangers” show up at the feeder… We used to get an occasional Lazuli Bunting but haven’t seen one in years. ENJOY – except of Bandito of course, that little devil……;)
“Little devil” is right. I came very close to using those exact words to describe him in my text. I’ve called him worse…
This is great Ron. Have had years like this at out backyard fountain. However this year it has been quite the opposite. Sightings are way down from previous years. It’s a bummer.
Very happy for you though, and thank you for sharing.
Michael, maybe “your” birds are visiting me now. If so, I thank you for sharing!
Enjoy the Magic!
I plan on it, Cindy.