A happy Blues family She didn’t like his choice.   She took a look at the first house he picked right outside Bills’ office but decided against it.  Maybe it is too close to the feeder or the nosey Catbirds that keep checking on the house, though he promptly chased the Catbird off.  For unknown reason, at least to us, she has gone for their old … Continue reading Bluebird Family

They’re back They’ve been back in the neighborhood since early April but defending their territory has been their priority, both from other Tree Swallows and the neighborhood thugs, the House Sparrows.   At one point the fight got so fierce that one Swallow pinned another one on the ground and ignored us completely when we sat only a foot away from them.  They briefly paused and … Continue reading Tree Swallow

The bird in the gray flannel suit. They have that classic look, completely gray with a black skull cap and rust brown under the tail.   I found them very entertaining and intelligent.  After all these years I still remember my first encounter with them. I heard a cat meow from one of the bushes, so I went looking for it thought that maybe a neighbor … Continue reading Gray Catbird

Finally made up his mind. The Bluebirds came back two weeks ago.  I could hear them chirping before I saw them.  I should say “him” because I mostly see the male chirping.  Since they came back in the neighborhood, they’ve been looking at every birdhouse in our garden. At one point they were chased away by the Tree Swallow when they took a shot at … Continue reading Bluebirds are Back

Another repeat visitor These handsome guys are also back from wintering down south.  I find it interesting that they are so tame.  The first time I saw them, maybe two, three years ago, they were always up high in the trees.  They would come down to the feeder only when I was at a distance.  Once this year, a male let me get within a … Continue reading Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Finally, After a Couple of Years and a Few Birdhouses We love  all song birds.  But after I saw my first real-life Bluebird preening on a tree trunk along the bike path I was awestruck.  A beautiful blue with rust colored chest and white belly.  The thought of drawing them in to reside in our garden popped up in my head.  I read all books … Continue reading Bluebird