Friday, August 9, 2024

The Delight of Birdwatching in My Yard

We love to watch the birds flock to our backyard, and we happily keep their bird feeders filled. We have a wide variety of feathered friends who make their daily visits to our yard, and sharing our space with them is such a privilege.
Band-Tailed Pigeons, which are huge birds found in California, are a gorgeous sight to behold. They often visit in pairs, sometimes in multiples, but some also visit alone. I happened to be sitting at my desk when two descended upon a bird feeder that is intended for small birds. Despite the relative lack of space to accommodate their large bodies, the two sat and ate for quite a long time, and what a sight it was.
Humans are not the only birdwatchers in our yard, and Cooper's Hawks make regular appearances to birdwatch, and hunt. Usually only one appears at a time, but on this day there were two of them perched on the phone line. The birds they seek to hunt usually get away, but I have found feather evidence that they are periodically successful. Here on the phone wire, they plot, but they were not successful that day.

2 comments:

  1. Wow, those are big and I mean really big birds! What fun to watch them! I have a pollinator garden and my yard is partially in the woods, so I have a lot of birds. Mostly however, I am in love with the hummingbirds so I am enthralled with watching them at my bee balm, red cardinal flowers and trumpet vines. They're so cute! Have you read Amy Tan's new book about bird watching in her yard? I have heard her talk about it on NPR and it sounds like a good read.

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    Replies
    1. Aren't they HUGE, Allison?! The first time I saw these birds in my yard, I gasped. They are gigantic. As for the Cooper's hawks, we have had an array of ages and sizes from larger mature birds to smaller juvenile birds. They are all such a sight to behold– especially in the heart of such a metropolis! I have lots of hummingbirds, and I tend to plant bird and bee friendly pollinators too. I love it when you post pictures of your beautiful garden! I have not read Amy Tan's new book about bird watching in her yard, I must read it!

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