Yesterday, I told my wife Lynn that one of the things I wanted for Christmas was for the female Red-bellied Woodpecker to visit along with the male. Would you believe that this morning we had 2 Red-bellied Woodpeckers in our backyard locust tree.  They were chasing each other around among the tree branches, fighting over territory I presume.  The second one might have been another male.  I'll be keeping a closer watch to see if I can figure out what sex the second one is.

 We also had a pair of House Sparrows visit this morning.  I hope they do not stick around because they are very aggressive toward the Bluebirds and their young.

With the onset of frigid weather, we usually get a few new birds showing up at our feeders.  This past week, I finally made some of my own suet from a recipe we have had for years.  The birds love it and finish it up ahead of other choices.

A few weeks ago, a male Red-bellied Woodpecker started enjoying our peanut and suet feeders.   My Christmas wish is for the female Red-bellied Woodpecker to come in with the male.  We have never seen them together.

We now have six Tree Sparrows as regulars.  They will stay with us until early March before heading back north.

 This morning, one Cedar Waxwing was in our crabapple tree briefly.  I was too slow getting ready for a shot.  Hopefully he will be back and bring some buddies.

I arrived back from a 10 day trip to Monterey, California last night.  I was visiting my daughter and her family and got to see my new grand-daughter Camille for the first time.

They made sure to take me lots of places where I could get photos of new and different birds and animals.  Here is a list of the bird and animal species that I will be posting over the next few months (most of which were firsts for me):

Pelicans, Cormorants, Gulls, Geese, Ducks, Coots, Acorn Woodpeckers, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows, Townsend's Warblers, Stellar's Jays, Western Scrub Jays, Eurasian Collared Doves, Chestnut-sided Chickadees, Oregon Juncos, Brewers Blackbirds ...

Brown Squirrel, Ground Squirrel, Seals, Otters, Sea Lions ...  

Several species that have been mostly absent all summer are starting to return to our yard: Red-breasted Nuthatch (2), White-breasted Nuthatch (2), Tufted Titmouse (4), Black-capped Chickadee (8), Dark-eyed Junco (12), Goldfinch (4).

Leaving soon but still around: Field Sparrow (4), Song Sparrow (6), Chipping Sparrow (8), Robin (flocks passing through), Gray Catbird (4), Eastern  Phoebe (2)

Gone South within the past month: Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Eastern Towhee, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellow-throat, Killdeer

We have baby birds everywhere. 

Four bluebirds left their nest yesterday.  The parents always take them to the cover of the woods for about a week until they are stronger flyers.  Then we will be seeing this second set of juveniles at our mealworm feeder box.

This afternoon I watched as the 5 phoebe chicks in our garage left the nest one at a time.  They were landing on all kinds of things around the garage until they finally found their way out.  (Video series coming soon)

I saw 3 newly fledged indigo buntings flying around in the brush on the corner below our house.  They were cheeping madly and the parents were following them around looking somewhat flustered.

Two juvenile crows left their nest yesterday and are sticking close to their parents.  We see the group of 4 at various places around our property.

Hairy woodpecker parents are still feeding suet to their two youngsters.

Other juveniles include 6 cowbirds, 4 song sparrows, 6 chipping sparrows, 2 catbirds, 2 cardinals, 8 bluejays, 10 starlings, 2 orioles, 4 robins, 8 tree sparrows.  There is still a nest full of barn swallows in the peak of our barn.

We now have 5 active nests near our house: 1) phoebes in the garage - 5 chicks, 2) bluebirds in nestbox by our horse pasture - 4 chicks, 3) robins in our horses' run-in shed - 3 chicks, 4) barn swallows in the peak of our barn, 5) 2 starling nests in the eaves of our barn.

 A cedar waxwing posed for me in a honeysuckle bush in our backyard this evening while the mate peched in a nearby tree. 

One of the chipmunks is getting very bold, running back and forth within 6 feet of me while I was working outside.  Guess he now thinks I am his friend after I rescued him in the bedroom the other night.  

Both adult bluebirds are making regular mealworm runs to the nestbox above our horse pasture.  From the volume of mealworms they are taking, the chicks must be getting big.

A juvenile catbird was cheeping away this morning begging to be fed, but the adult catbird is into the tough love phase "get your own".

For the first time in awhile, I have seen chickadees at the feeders the last few days, so that means the "chicklets" are starting to leave their nests in the woods and the parents are getting a bit of a break from feeding duties.

Our cat has taken to heart our request not to kill chipmunks, instead he brings them in alive and turns them loose in our bedroom.  Friday night my wife, who is not easily upset by critters, woke me up at 1AM to inform me that there was a chipmunk under her pillow.  I'm thinking "right" but dutifully got up and looked along the backside of her pillow.  Yes there was a chipmunk neatly snuggled under the back edge.  As I lifted the pillow, he startled, jumped on the floor and hid under the baseboard heater along the wall.

After 10 minutes of discussion about what to do, I got a cardboard box, laid it on the floor, blocked off both side exits along the heater and scooted him into the box using a yardstick.  As I released him ouside, I sternly told him to wise up and stay away from the cat.

As for the birds that so far have stayed outside:

1) we now have juvenile catbirds visiting the yard, 2) the yellow-bellied sapsucker chicks left the nest before I got photos of them sticking their heads out - darn, 3) the second clutch of phoebe eggs have hatched in the nest in our garage, 4) a kingbird visited our horse paddock area for the first time, 5) 2 juvenile cedar waxwings were perched in the birch tree in our backyard in the morning, then the waxwing family of 4 was checking out the berries in our honeysuckle bushes in late afternoon.

Lots of juvenile bird activity these days: hairy and downy woodpeckers, rose-breasted grosbeaks, robins, crows, chipping sparrows, cowbirds, cedar waxwings, and tree swallows. 

The female phoebe is sitting on her second round of eggs - they should hatch any day now.  The cardinals and catbirds are making regular feeding runs.  I saw a yellow-bellied sapsucker chick stick its head out of the nest hole for the first time 2 days ago - hope to get a photo today.

Our 2 dozen goldfinches are all over the serviceberry trees.  They eat the berries before they are quite ripe, getting a jump on the larger birds that will devour them soon.

I've gotten into photographing butterflies and moths since I found someone who can help me identify them.  Stay tuned for lots more of them.

The female deer have had their fawns by now, so hopefully we will be seeing fawns romping in our yard soon. 

As the number of regular pine siskin visitors has dropped, all of a sudden the goldfinches have moved in.  We now have about 40 of them.  They perch in our backyard crabapple trees making very colorful ornaments.

We have lots of baby birds coming in with their parents: chippng sparrows, song sparrows, bluebirds, starlings, phoebes, robins.

I found a second yellow-bellied sapsucker nest within a 1/4 mile of our house.  The female is on the nest inside an old tree trunk while the male makes sap and bug runs.

The first clutch of phoebes fledged over the weekend.  That same day, I saw the adult pair mating.  There are already 2 new eggs in the same nest.

We now have 4 chipmunks racing around our backyard.  This could get to be a problem as they expand their tunnels. 

We now have a male and female ruby-throated hummingbird visiting the flowers that have started to bloom and two hanging baskets I just bought.  They seem to get along fine now, but after they mate, the territory battles will start.  Usually one gets the front yard and the other the back yard.  The yellow-bellied sapsucker sapwells they have been visiting on our willow tree are in the front yard.

The phoebe and robin chicks are growing fast.  The robin chicks are now sticking their heads well above the side of the nest.  Hopefully the bluebirds will start bringing their fledglings in for mealworms soon.

Two new arrivals: 1) a scarlet tanager in wooded area below our house (getting a photo will be a challenge), and 2) a yellow warbler in the same tree as the oriole's nest - see below.

5 phoebe chicks finally hatched, they were not cheeping so I think they actually hatched a few days ago.  Mom and dad are now making regular feeding runs.

While walking my dog yesterday, I saw a pair of baltimore orioles mating, then discovered their nest location 40 feet up in a poplar tree.  Later on the walk, I discovered a yellow-bellied sapsucker nest - hope to get some shots of their chicks late in June.

This morning I saw two indigo bunting singing in the top of a tree.  They are staying up high calling for the females that have not arrived yet.

Got my first shots of common yellow throats, they are all over the place.  I get them to come out of the thickets by mimicking their call.

The 3 robins chicks are starting to wiggle around in the nest.  Each day they have more fuzzy feathers.  Mom robin does not like me going near the nest and dive bombs me each time.  I only take a quick peek using a mirror because they are not visible above the side of the deep nest yet.  Mom was feeding them worms first thing this morning when I looked out at the nest.

During the past week, I got a brief look at a yellow-rumped warbler - a first ever to our yard - no photo yet.  I'm hoping that he will stick around.

The baby chipmunk has emerged from his nest and was romping around the front yard yesterday.

The phoebe eggs still have not hatched, I am hoping any day now.  Guess the chilly weather we've had is slowed things down a bit.

I have been checking the robin nest by our garage daily.  Yesterday I was pleased to see 3 little chicks laying flat among cracked egg shells.  Mom has since cleaned the shells out of the nest - I found them scattered around our driveway.  Mom robin was not happy that I was inspecting her nest.  I have a step ladder right there, so it took me less than 30 seconds.

I thought the phoebe eggs would have hatched by yesterday, but not yet.

I saw two new arrivals on my morning dog walk yesterday:

A meadowlark was perched in a serviceberry tree, then flew to a fence post briefly, and finally flew across our horse pastures to the spruce tree grove at the bottom of our property.  I have yet to get a photo of a meadowlark, maybe this will be the year.

At the road intersection below our house, I saw a male indigo bunting who was singing away in the top of a tree.  We normally get 2 mating pairs of indigo buntings and both pair hang out on opposite sides of the road.  There is alot of dense brush which they like.

In the afternoon yesterday, I was waiting by our willow tree to get shots of a yellow-bellied sapsucker pair that have pecked lots of sapwells around the trunk at 3 different levels on the trunk.  I was surprised to hear our newly arrived male hummingbird at the tree.  He was helping himself to the sap in the sapwells.  Guess I don't have to worry about him getting enough to eat.  This explains why I see them in the woods where there are no flowers, and why they arrive before our yard flowers are in bloom.

The new arrivals just keep coming: 

A white crowned sparrow showed up yesterday and posed nicely for me right away.

I heard wood thrushes up in the woods.

Two female baltimore orioles arrived to keep the two males in the area content.

I saw a total of 5 catbirds while I was out for my morning walk.  They are all staking out their patches of woods along the road.

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I also went up to my neighbor's pond for the third day in a row to get canadian gosling photos.  I love watching those cute little bundles of yellowish feathers swimming around with their parents.  They are growing so fast. (See Birds / Juveniles 2009).

The phoebe eggs should start hatching this Thursday or Friday.  The male and female bluebirds are making mealworm runs to feed 4 hungry chicks in their nest.

Two new arrivals:  one field sparrow and a common yellow-throated warbler.  The field sparrow was ground feeding along with the other sparrows, so I almost did not notice him.  I heard the common yellow-throated warbler while walking my dog.

I visited my neighbor's pond at 7AM this morning to see if the canadian geese were there.  When I arrived, there were about 12 adults and 12 goslings.  The goslings were in two groups: 5 in one and 7 in the other.  Each group was flanked by 2 adults.  They did not let me get very close, but I was able to get some shots - see birds / juveniles 2009.

While returning from dog walk this morning, a mockingbird flew out of the spruce trees at the bottom of our property.  I heard a chattering noise that I thought was a catbird, but it turned out to be the mocker.

I finally figured out where the bluebirds moved their nest after the tree swallows chased them out of their first one.  I'll be checking the egg count soon.

The female phoebe is now sitting on 5 eggs - the number she always lays.  The chicks should hatch next Thursday or Friday.  I'm looking forward to getting video of them.

A pair of robins have built their nest on an arbor frame beside out garage, so I will have a front row seat to their chicks as well.  I'll be getting video of them too.

New arrivals are the male and female rose-breasted grosbeaks and a brown thrasher.

According to my bird arrivals log (10 year history), the following birds should be arriving here in southern New York over the next 2 weeks:

White-crowned Sparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Wood Thrush, Vireo, Indigo Bunting, Field Sparrow, Ruby-throated Hummingbird

The Baltimore Oriole and Catbird already arrived earlier than normal.

While down at our horse barn this morning, I heard a new, but familiar bird call.  I ran outside just in time to see a male baltimore oriole singing in our locust tree (10 days earlier than last year).

In the afternoon when I was walking our dog, I heard and saw a catbird in the brush calling for a mate (2 weeks earlier than last year).

Yesterday the toads started singing constantly - all day and night.  This will last for a week to 10 days.  It is a preditable event every year (but a week earlier than last year).

This evening our puppy Coby came in the house looking distresed with foam oozing out of his mouth.  I quickly ran to the kitchen and filled our basting plunger with water and washed his mouth several times.  We then took him outside and rinsed his mouth out with the hose.  It seems he tried tasting a toad and got some of the toad poison in his mouth.  We called the vet immediately.  She said since we rinsed his mouth out right away, he probably would not have any further reaction.  Fortunately he is looking normal now.  That was a close call - if he had swallowed some or eaten the toad it could have been fatal.

This morning we had 2 new arrivals in our front yard: a white-throated sparrow (right on schedule), and a towhee (week earlier than last year).  I heard the towhee as I was approaching the feeders to fill them.  He saw me and did not spook, just continued to sing his song as he perched in our dogwood tree.

Later I drove down to a local creek area and sat in my blind for awhile.  I was looking for a common merganser pair and was pleased to see two pair.  While I was there, I heard a kingfisher further down the creek.  Within a few minutes he flew by and perched on a branch over the water near me.

Our female cardinal gets territorial this time every year.  She has been attacking her reflection in our kitchen window for the past three days.  As I started out our garage door this morning, I noticed she was perched on the rear-view mirror of my truck.  She would fly at the mirror, thinking that her reflection is another female.

I believe the female bluebird is now sitting on eggs.  They moved their nest to a different nestbox after the tree swallows arrived last Sunday.

The female red-winged blackbirds and brown-headed cowbirds showed up over the weekend.  The male posturing and courting has moved into full swing.  A third male purple finch and several females arrived.  The first fox sparrow and chipping sparrow of the spring showed up yesterday morning.

A flock of juncos must be passing through - we were down to about 6 and now we are back up to 30+.

The phoebe that showed up in the adjacent woods last week is now calling in trees  and on fence wires around our horse pastures.

A pair of crows struts around our front yard every morning to gather the stale bread I put out for them.

The bluebird pair must have their nest ready, they were mating yesterday morning in a snowy wind.  I hope they know what they are doing - still quite chilly to be laying eggs.  Maybe they were just practicing.

We still have 60+ pine siskins.  Groups of 6-8 are starting to take baths together in our water garden streams. 

We are up to 18 male cowbirds and 8 females arrived this morning.   Along with the 70 male redwinged blackbirds, they are going through sunflower seed at an incredible pace.  I hope they pair off and spread out soon.

I heard a phoebe in the woods when walking my dog this morning.  They will probably be scoping out our garage as a nesting spot soon.

I saw 2 killdeer at a farm about  5 miles from our place, so it won't be long till they show up here.

Here are the species that are likely to arrive in our Southern NY area beginning in April (based on my 10 year log of 1st arrival dates).

Phoebe, White-throated Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Killdeer, Mockingbird, Towhee

The Goldfinch and Purple Finch that usually arrive in April are already here. 

We had another new arrival today.  A song sparrow was ground feeding in our front yard.

This afternoon the sharp-shinned hawk perched in our willow tree, but all the song birds know his profile and scattered or hid.

The male bluebird fed the female a mealworm again today.

Yesterday a pair of house finches stopped by our backyard briefly.  Most likely they are just the first wave passing through, but it was great to see them again.

After a week absence, the female bluebird returned.  She was perched in a tree above the mealworm feeder fluttering her wings.  The male bluebird flew out of the mealworm box, perched next to her and fed her a mealworm.  Guess he was rewarding her for coming back.  They are spending lots of time by one of the nest boxes in our backyard.

The springtime chorus of birds is gaining momentum.  At any given time, I hear 4 or more birds singing or doing their territory calls.  At one point I heard crows, chickadees, pine siskins, bluejays, red-winged blackbirds, bluebirds, a titmouse, dueling cardinals, a red-tailed hawk screech and a flicker in the distance - music to my ears!

We now have 6 male red-winged blackbirds all calling in tree tops.  No doubt they will attract the females when they come through in less than 2 weeks.

We were down to just a few pine siskins when the weather warmed up, but now we have about 50.  Guess they decided the food here was good for a few more weeks.

The chipmunk is definitely out of hibernation.  He is scurrying around the yard gathering bird seed between grooming sessions.

The fox sparrows should be showing up any day now.  They usually spend a few days here on their way north.

We had 6 robins looking for worms in our pastures and calling in trees this morning.  We should be seeing some big flocks of them soon with the warmer weather arriving.

The male and female cardinal are moving around the yard together now, courtship behavior is beginning.

A male grackle in breeding plumage was at the feeder area this afternoon.

A pair of red-breasted nuthatches have returned to our yard.  I don't know if they migrate south during the winter months or just stay up in the woods.  It is nice to have them back.  When I was sprinkling thistle seed on a perch this morning, one of them landed on the suet block 12 inches from my face and stayed there for a few minutes.

The male bluebird continues to visit in the morning and is calling for a female, but I have not seen the female for 5 days now.

We have a steady stream of canadian geese "V"s flying over, always with loud honking going on.

All but 4 dark-eyed juncos have headed north.  We usually have a few that stay through the summer and nest in our spruce tree grove.

While walking my dog yesterday, I saw 2 birds that I did not recognize scurrying through the underbrush.  On my return trip past the same location, I saw them more out in the open.  I was excited to see both a male and female pine grosbeak scratching along the ground under large tamarac trees where there are lots of fallen cones.

I rushed home, grabbed my camera and returned to see if I might be able to get some photos.  I was able to get a shot of the female, but not the male.  On my return visit, I could see about 6 of them spread out among the tamarac trees.

Later in the day, 4 cedar waxwings landed in one of our backyard crabapple trees.  Two of them were perched very close to each other - I'm guessing some coursthip going on (unfortunately no photos).

This morning, a pair of bluebirds were visiting 2 of the nestboxes in our backyard.  I went down and dropped mealworms on the lid of each box to encourage them to continue considering these nest sites.

The pattern of spring arrivals showing up a week early continues.

Yesterday I saw our first robin of the spring.  He was all by himself moving through the trees clucking.

Last night we heard a large flock of canadian geese fly over around 10PM.

This morning, 2 male red-winged blackbirds arrived at our feeders.  They were raising their legs alternately in the windy 10 degree windchill.  

As new birds arrive, the pine siskins are leaving.  This morning we only have 6 remaining from the flock of 120.  I am going to miss having the flock greet me every morning when I distribute the thistle seed.

I keep a log of when different bird species first arrive to our southern NY area every year.  Species arrivals have been very predictable, normally within the same 7 days each year over the past 10 years I have been keeping records.

Upcoming arrivals the first week of March include: grackles, redwing blackbirds, fox sparrows, brown headed cowbirds, song sparrows and Canadian geese.

The first grackle arrived today, 2 weeks early.  It will be interesting to see if the other early arrival species are earlier this year as well.

There were a few more signs of spring this mornng as I walked our dog Coby:

A male cardinal was doing a half-hearted territory call in the top of a tall tamarac tree.  Guess he has to get his vocal cords in shape.

Several chickadees were doing their territory calls, staking out patches of woods along our walk route.

Two crows, most likely a mating pair, were perched side by side in a tall tree.

A pair of red-tailed hawks were doing acrobatics together.   At the end of the routine, the female flew down low behind the trees.  Next the male did a stall  maneuver and then dove straight down into the area where the female disappeared.  My guess is this was a courtship ritual.

Until today (lucky Friday the 13th) I had been getting increasingly frustrated at having a flock of 12 cedar waxwings landing in trees around my property just out of reach of photo opportunities.  Today while standing by my kitchen window I saw them land in the spruce tree by our road.  I grabbed my camera and tripod, threw on my jacket and ventured out to see if I could snatch a distance shot.

I set up about 80 feet away and got a few lousy shots.  So I kept moving closer about 5 feet at a time snapping a few shots as I approached.  I couldn't believe they were not flying away.  When I was 10 feet away, they were still there looking at me but not leaving.  After getting lots more so so shots, I figured I had nothing to lose by circling around the tree for a better angle.  They still did not move with me 10 feet away right in front of them!!  I was talking to them softly the whole time, thanking them for being so cooperative.

I had not grabbed gloves or a hat, so I finally left when I was totally frozen.

For those of you who are getting winter weary, the birds are starting to show signs that spring is on the way!!! 

The goldfinches are starting to show some color.

The crows, bluejays, starlings, and doves are pairing off.

The chipmunk poked his head out of his den this morning to check out the warmer weather.

The cardinals, chickadees and flickers have started their territory calls.

The pileated woodpeckers are drumming BIG holes in old rotting trees.

Hang in there, it won't be long. 

We now have over 100 pine siskins as regular visitors.  It will be interesting to see if the flock size continues to grow.  Last year we ended up with 250 redpolls by the end of winter.

There were opossum tracks in the snow along the front of our garage this morning, so the little guy that was on our porch awhile back is still active and looking for leftover bird seed around the yard.

The pine siskins must be passing the word that thistle feeding at Sugar Run Farm is primo.  We now have 75+ pine siskins descending on our feeders in a huge flock all day long.  I have 2 tube feeders and I'm sprinkling thistle seed on all my log feeders and in all the sunflower seed heads that I left standing.  It seems that every day we get more siskins - what a treat to see them all!!!

This coming year, I will be installing several webcams so you can enjoy them live  too.

I always enjoy the lively bluejay show every morning after I put out lots of peanuts for them.  Many days I do not take photos because they usually behave predictably.  

 This morning I was surprised when a male grabbed a peanut and flew to a tree where a female jay was perched.  He scooted up beside her and then passed the peanut to her beak to beak.  I thought it was a one time thing, so I didn't get my camera.  Then within minutes, he repeated the same courtship seed pass. 

Tomorrow I will be ready with camera.  This guy must really have the hots for her because this behavior does not usually start until early March.