Dark and Rainy Days

 It has been dark and rainy.  After a long absence, I saw a Mourning Dove.

"Hi,  it's nice to be back here.  I can find some food during winter."😉

Bewick's Wren:  "I like your suet here."🤩

Western Scrub-Jay:  "I like your seeds, too."👍

Little Help for Birds

Every year I send in a donation to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  The other day they sent me a little brochure, "7 Simple Actions" for a Bird-Friendly life.

So, I checked on whether I have followed their list.

1)  Make windows safer: Done. I placed some plastic stickers on our windows.
2) Keep cats indoors:  My cats stay indoor all the time for their safety.
3) Reduce lawn, plant natives:  Reduced the lawn some and  will buy more native plants.
4) Avoid pesticides:  No pesticides in my front and back yards.  For roses, I use dish soap to get rid of aphids.
5) Drink shade-grown coffee:  A new thing.  We will try this.
6) Protect our planet from plastic:  Recycle plastic bags around home.  Use recycle bags for shopping.
7) Watch birds:  I watch and take photos to understand them and spread the info on my blog.


Here're some new photos for you:

Yellow-rumped Warbler: "I like your suet.  But 

when you peek from inside, I am scared."

Anna's Hummingbird:  "Don't worry.  She won't hurt you.

One day, many American Robins landed here to peck on the fallen organic apples.  It is a good idea to keep some left on the ground for winter.

"Thank you for saving the apples for our winter food."

On a snowy day, many Mourning Doves landed searching for seeds.  I have never seen this many at one time.

"This morning the snow covered food, so we came here to eat seeds."

The Nesting Season

Spring is the nesting season.  I saw a squirrel collecting the nest materials.

"A busy day for me!"

A couple of Mourning Dove landed, one after another.

"We are together."

The Rufous Hummingbird was here everyday defending her territory for a couple of weeks; however, suddenly it disappeared maybe due to warming her eggs(?).

"No one else is allowed here."

Hidden

Most of the pear trees and the blueberry bushes lost their leaves.  I raked and put them on the garden for composting.  Look closely at the leaves.  Find three birds hidden there.

Mourning Dove:  "It's me!  I am camouflaged with the colorful leaves."

Golden-crowned Sparrow:  "I am sunbathing on the heated leaves and needles."

For the 3rd bird, I spotted the back of a House Sparrow to the left of the golden-crowned.  Everyone enjoys the warm sun when the weather turns cold.

Stay Back!

Spring has sprung in my backyard.  A honeysuckle bush now has many new leaves.

Daffodils just started to bloom.

A Mourning Dove made a quick stop.  A few weeks ago six of them were in the backyard.

"I saw you.  Just stay there and DO NOT come any closer for my safety."

A Message from a Mourning Dove

From a Mourning Dove: 

"Since my backyard owner mixed up on identifying me earlier, I need to let you know how to find me by one more characteristic."

 

 

"It's my pointed tail.   All the other doves in Western North America do not have this fancy point in the tail!  Just remember it."

Spring Melody

Early in the spring morning, even before the dawn, a bird begins to sing.

It's the best time to listen to birds.   Since it is dark, they don't have to worry about being spotted by predators.  

The above song was by a Mr. House Finch.

If you enjoy bird watching, why not get up a bit early and go out to the backyard just to listen to the birds.  Outside you will have a fascinating discovery of bird songs.

A different melody you may have noticed here.

The #2 singer was a Mr. Lesser goldfinch.

Up on the neighbor's tree, I heard a Mourning Dove cooing.  But as soon as I peeked through the camera lens underneath him, he stopped.  See, his throat was ready to coo, but he just did not want to until I disappeared from his view.

I hope you will enjoy a bird song this season. 

Mourning Dove

Have you ever heard of a sad cooing from somewhere above?  A few years ago when I did, I thought about an owl.  But I was wrong.  Who could it be? 

It was from a Mourning Dove. 

First they were very cautious, so they stayed on the fence to check on me.

When I got a birdbath out on the lawn in spring, they thought they would try it.

By autumn, one got the nerve to get closer to my patio. 

Nowadays, they come to my backyard often to walk around and find seeds.    One even tried to tell me,  "Yes, you have passed our safety inspection.  We will visit you often."