“Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches. From Your lofty abode You water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.”
Psalm 104:12-13
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Eastern Bluebird (fledgling)
Eastern Bluebird
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Black & White Warbler
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Cape May Warbler
American Redstart
Scarlet Tanager (male) As you can see, he’s already exchanged his brilliant red for his winter green/yellow. Still a beautiful bird and was happy to see him feasting in my backyard.
Cooper’s Hawk (juvenile)
Red-Shouldered Hawk
Gulf Fritillary–No feathers but striking fall colors.
“It can be difficult to accept the fact that a lot of birds have to be identified as “possible” or “probable.” ― David Allen Sibley, Sibley’s Birding Basics
Green Heron
Green Heron (sporting his mohawk)
Red-headed Woodpeckers–Parent showing the newbie the ropes or how to find the best bugs
Little Blue Heron
Barn Swallow
White-eyed Vireo
Ruby-throated Hummingbird–one of my white spotted ones
White Ibis (juvenile)
Summer Tanager (female)
Great Egret
Great Crested Flycatcher
Downy Woodpecker (male)
Northern Flicker Woodpecker
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Young Duck–Mottled or Wood?
Mottled Duck
Acknowledge that Yahweh is God. He made us, and we are His–His people, the sheep of His pasture. Psalm 100:3
“Watching birds is good for mental health, the research tells us; it reduces anxiety, stress and depression and builds a well-being connection that might remain for life.” Miriam Darlington in Owl Sense.
Red-tailed Hawk
White-eyed Vireo
Barred Owl
Yellow-throated Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Barred Owl (doing a little fishing)
Pileated Woodpecker
Great Crested Flycatcher
(Another) Barred Owl
Prothonotary Warbler
Eastern Bluebird
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (juvenile male; notice the tongue action)
Barn Swallows
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.” Psalm 150:6
“On a day like this, I can’t imagine anything better that might happen in a person’s life than for them to start paying attention to birds—to become aware of this magical world that exists all around us, unnoticed by many but totally captivating for those who know its secrets. This kind of spring day, with its bountiful myriads of colorful sprites just arrived from tropical shores, has to be one of the greatest gifts of life on Earth.” ― Kenn Kaufman, A Season On The Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration
Wood Duck Mama and Five Ducklings
Prothonotary Warbler
Red-shouldered Hawk baby
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Pine Warbler
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (I’ve had some with white spots coming for several years now. I’ve decided it must not be the plague).
Hummingbird Wars
Cedar Waxwings
Another male summer tanager
Gray Catbird
Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawks
Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawks (from a different nest)
My first full season of feeding and watching hummingbirds is coming to an end. I thought I would get tired of cleaning out feeders on a regular basis, but, no, all I did was add a couple of more feeders. I’m not enough of an expert to be able to give an accurate count, but I did have at least two adult males on a regular basis and probably a couple of females. In the middle of the season, several more hummingbirds began to come regularly. At least three of them are juvenile males making me assume the females had a successful season with hatching and bringing out their young. It will be interesting next year to see how many of these males show up to stake out their territory.
The tongue is out!
Any time I interact with nature–whether through observation or studying the life cycles of plants, birds, or animals–I am reminded anew of God’s majestic, artistic creation and His unmatched imagination in creating both the hummingbird and the woodpecker; the whale and the seal; the butterfly and the daylily.
“Some people, in order to find God, will read a book. But there is a great book, the book of created nature. Look carefully at it top and bottom, observe it, read it. God did not make letters of ink for you to recognize him in; he set before your eyes all these things he has made. Why look for a louder voice?” Augustine of Hippo