Winter Visitors at the Feeder
Downy Woodpecker
This year we put up more bird feeders than ever before, creating something of a bird oasis on our small urban property. The number and variety of birds that stop by is always a surprise. So far, 18 species have visited our feeders this winter.
There is constant action at the feeders. Each morning, coffee in hand, I enjoy watching the birds’ antics from my kitchen window. A flock of Bushtits, tiny twittering grey birds, swarms the suet, and a soft “pik” announces the arrival of a Downy Woodpecker. A handsome Spotted Towhee scratches at some old leaves under the Rhodo while a small flock of finches, the males with crimson red heads, moves in. Every so often, an army of Starlings descends, covering our lawn like locusts. There is hardly a dull moment, even in the dead of winter. Continue reading »
