Channelling Thoreau

I am channelling my inner Thoreau. It started on a whim with the addition of a bird feeder to my backyard two years ago.  A few days later, a lovely little gray bird with what looked like a mohawk became a frequent visitor. "What kind of bird is that?" I wondered.  I consulted my trusty advisor (the internet) for identification and ultimately stumbled across a photo of a tufted titmouse.  Bird identified!  I was hooked. A steady stream of others followed: goldfinches, houses finches, sparrows, jincos, cowbirds, and grackles. A lone morning dove often sat on the fence, and a mockingbird sang from our rooftop. During rainstorms, a few bluebirds hopped around on the grass looking for worms.

 

Hearing about my sudden fascination with birds, my father-in-law gave me a bluebird house that he wasn't using, and we added it to our backyard.  I thought, "Well, we do have some bluebirds around," but never considered that they might use it for nesting.  A month later, I noticed a pair of bluebirds lingering around the house--the female sitting on its roof and the male on the grass underneath. Several weeks after that, the chirping started.  Baby blues in the house! The pair worked diligently to feed the brood over the next two weeks. One morning, I observed four of the babies sitting on the fence testing their wings. Then, they were off.  The pair has used the house to raise several broods of babies, and it is such a joy to watch them swoop through the backyard to care for them.

This summer, I added a hummingbird feeder to our backyard.  Ruby-throated hummingbirds soon began zipping through and sparring with one another.  Their high-pitched chirps can become deafening.   Who knew tiny little birds could make so much noise and be so aggressive?

To capture some of the antics, I was inspired to buy a decent camera.  Although I'm admittedly a bad photographer, the camera is good, and the subjects are beautiful.  I'll post some of the photos I've captured in my backyard for anyone who might also have an interest in channelling Thoreau.