I was cleaning out some photos taken at random intervals all spring, and thought I’d share with you what the wildlife in my backyard has been up to. The feeder system expanded to include nectar to attract hummingbirds, and oranges to attract orioles. So far, one of those has worked, and I have not yet seen an oriole.
Robins are abundant all spring. They start off all poofy from the cold, when they first start appearing. I liked this guy’s cool hairdo.
Later in the season, they start to leave the nest and these skinny little fellas start showing up.
The cardinals are easy to spot all year round. I managed to catch this guy in flight. Seeing their wings in motion almost makes the birds themselves feel like they’re made of the air itself. Check out his little feet!
But, for what it’s worth, I’ve always liked the lady cardinals understated outfit. It says, “sure, I like red, but quit looking at me.” She just wants to eat seeds, and go about her day, and I respect that.
The mourning doves are year-round residents. I caught this pair in early spring when she was sunning herself on the deck. He was just chilling out nearby. What really caught me by surprise was the variation in blues in her tail feathers. You can sort of see this when they’re landing or taking off, but spread out, there really are many more shades of blue than you would expect.
The collared doves are newcomers to my backyard. At least that I have noticed. These are Eurasian Collared Doves. At first, I thought it was the Ring-Necked Dove but once I learned those only exist on the continent of Africa, and I am in the Great Lakes region, I did some more googling. They’re still the sharpest dressers in the backyard, imho.
It’s tough to get attached to finches. Maybe it’s because there are so many of them. But I do like that they’re agile and curious and adaptable.
I was surprised when the finches started nipping at the oranges. Still no orioles though.
However, the best visitor so far this year has been the one hummingbird I managed to attract.
I have been keeping a very informal list of what I consider to be the top ten all-time birds. Hummingbirds are very close to the top of that list.
Because they fly backwards. They hover. They are the only bird who can do those things. Plus they’re so tiny!
But look at the sheen on those feathers. Downright dreamy.
Hoping for more hummingbirds all season. They’re always welcome in my yard.
There’s pretty much nothing you can do about the squirrels, I have decided. Though, I do wish they would demonstrate a bit of dignity.
And the little tiny mouse I don’t mind so much. He’s small and unobtrusive. I haven’t seen him since things started leafing out anyway.
Those ears though! Those little, round ears!
The rats, however, I am less fond of. They benefitted from my good nature during the polar vortex, but now it’s nearly summer and baby rats are starting to get bold in the daylight hours.
This is what a baby rat looks like. It is an adorable abomination.
I am still not 100% sure what I’m going to do about that, short of depriving everyone of the bird feeder for a few weeks.
