Favorite Backyard Garden Birds?

[Marlingardener]

I've recently developed a fondness for the Downy Woodpecker.

They aren't as greedy as the Redwing Blackbirds, nor as aggressive as the mockingbirds. We have a nice mix of birds here on the farm, but the Downy is one of my favorites.

[HoneyBerry]

Nice woodpecker! I love woodpeckers. I have a regular that I see pecking on my lilac tree once in a while.
I have been sharing my cockatiel's millet with the juncos outside. So now I can enjoy the juncos as well as my normal finches and chickadees. The juncos don't eat the sunflower seeds that I put out but they sure do like the millet seed. And they are ground feeders so I am feeding them differently. They even build their nests on the ground. I found a junco nest in my long grass once. I was protective of it. The baby birds seemed so vulnerable so low on the ground.

[digitS']

I hadn't realized that they had such a wide territory!

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Downy_Woodpecker/id

That's year round, folks . That Downy has got the "adapt to local conditions" skills down pat!

Steve

[LIcenter]

I hadn't realized that they had such a wide territory!

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Downy_Woodpecker/id

That's year round, folks . That Downy has got the "adapt to local conditions" skills down pat!

Steve

We've had an explosion of Downy's this year. Normally once a week I'll hang out at my local bird feed store to chew the fat for an hour or two. Just about everyone has commented on seeing an unusual abundance of this little cutey. That and Goldfinches.

[tommyr]

Hummingbirds and Cardinals.

[Marlingardener]

We are truly fortunate to have such a variety of birds (although we could do with a lesser number of grackles). We participate in Cornell U.'s Feeder count, and this weekend we had 16 different species--Great Blue Heron, Goldfinch, Redwings, Killdeer, Grebe, among others. The Meadowlarks are beginning to show up in the field, and we are eagerly awaiting the Kingbirds.
This photo is for you, Tommyr:

[ButterflyLady29]

I had a House Wren family living in a birdhouse in my front yard last year. The male kept fighting and singing with his reflection in my living room window. We had to keep the curtain closed so he would spend time raising his family. There were 2 broods that fledged from that little house. I was able to video record the last day the parents spent feeding their last brood of the year. It was a constant back and forth that day with both parents feeding babies.

[digitS']

. . . we could do with a lesser number of grackles ... Meadowlarks are beginning to show up in the field, and we are eagerly awaiting the Kingbirds. ...]

I have not seen a meadowlark here for years and years! It's probably been well over 10 and maybe closer to 20 years since they were here keeping the killdeer, cows and cowboys entertained.

I could be wrong but I blame the meadowlark's distant cousin, the starling. The first starlings I saw was when I was about 12 or 15, in southern Oregon. We said that they migrated north out of California.

Starlings were here when I migrated north nearly 50 years ago so if they put pressure on the more solitary meadowlark, it began about then. It is probably true that this was the northern part of the meadowlarks' range and they decided showing up to build nests wasn't worth coming here. Disappointing ...

If meadowlarks can live with grackles, count your blessings .

Steve

[Marlingardener]

Steve, we do count our blessings! Our meadowlarks pretty much stay in the pasture and orchard area, the grackles in the barnyard, and the starlings just kind of sprinkle themselves in the front and back yards. I don't know why, but they seem to all have their little territories and areas and don't scare away each other.
We have killdeer in the drainage ditch by the road and in our driveway, and they share space with cowbirds. We aren't really happy about having starlings, cowbirds, and grackles, but don't try to get them to go away. They are seasonal--they come, and then they go. We are waiting for the "go"!

[tomf]

I like most of them, crows not so much. A short list of some of the cooler birds that come by are; Eagles, Turkey Vultures, Pileated Woodpeckers, Grouse, Quail, Hawks, Owls, and Sapsuckers. We are feeding the birds so every day there are tons of small birds out our windows.

[tomf]

Morning doves make the nices sounds.

[DavidCampbell]

I believe I saw a robin today. It showed up in a walnut tree across the road.

The robin was there about the first of December . For all I know, it's the same bird. Sitting down here at home, the 3 most common places to find me all have a view of that tree. The chairs and 3 windows all line up right.

I could claim that a robin has sat in that tree once every 6 weeks since October. Ha! Might be true. I think that there are very few over-wintering and I've seen them no where else. It is a blue-sky, snow-covered landscape day! Yesterday, overcast, and even without snow or rain that day, the streetlights were still on at 10:15 AM! ... If I had wings ... !

Ah well, the robins will all be back by spring.

Steve

I like magpies but having seen this video I want my own robin https://www.instagram.com/p/BAz_xFBg7CJ/

[digitS']

David, someone else will have to verify that as a Robin of the British Isles!

Holland Park is in London, just past Kensington gardens and Paddington station.

The British have their larks! And, other critters, as well.

Steve

[applestar]

Today's favorite is Titmouse. I heard a rustling, then rapid tapping right outside a FR window and there was a cute beady eyed and nervous titmouse cracking open some seed on the grapevine.

[Taiji]

The talk of meadowlarks reminded me of the Scott's oriole, which also has such a distinctive melodic song that sounds so much like a meadowlark. We have the meadowlarks around this area out on the prairies. I live at a little higher elevation in the foothills and sometimes Scott's orioles pass through. They don't come very often, but when I hear their beautiful song I rush outside to see. They usually perch on the tops of the pinion pines.