Since I'm unemployed, I have time to take care of matters around the house during the week. Of course there are things everyone says they're gonna do on weekends, but the weekends tend to be filled with too much to do. The other day I finally got around to emptying out last year's bird houses of old nests, etc. I also repositioned a couple of the houses because they did not have bird nests in them (wasp nests yes, but no birds.)
The next day, while I was out feeding one of the horses, I heard an odd chirping, and looked around to see what type of bird it was, as I am not an expert on bird calls. Looking over one of the bird houses was a downy woodpecker. I never thought that woodpeckers used man-made bird houses, so I will be watching that particular house more closely.
Which brings up another subject...I need to clean up my hummingbird feeders. I believe I read some where that the hummers are due back around the end of March, and that's right around the corner. At our first house, when I had out feeders, I was always greeted by the birds hovering by my kitchen window when they first arrived, as if to say "We're back!!!" That usually corresponded with Memorial Day, but experts say it's much sooner.
I'm also watching out for favorites who seem to have found my feeders on their way north This includes the grosbeaks. The first year I noticed them, I had one. Since then each year has offered a couple more, and last year I also had an oriole.
The birds that have overwintered here are probably some of the fattest in the area, as are the squirrels and chipmunks, but that's okay! It's cheap entertainment, and with the loss of suitable habitat in the area, I'm glad to do my part. Speaking of habitat, we have a flock of over 20 wild turkeys that have taken up residence. That's a future story...
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