Updates

We've been so busy the last while, I haven't had time to post and go through pictures at all. Not that there has been any shortage of birds outside! With the recent dip in temperatures, the feeders have been extra busy. This weekend we noticed the nuthatches were quite active at the feeders (esp. the suet) and discovered there was not just the usual one white breasted and one red breasted nuthatch, but in fact two of each! So hopefully these are pairs and maybe they will even settle in nearby. It's definitely getting to be that time of year where pairings begin (for those first year birds especially as some species stay together year after year). We have also seen the bluejays scooping up peanuts and feeding it to their partner in the trees in the front yard. So romantic! :)

Yesterday we drove out to Newcastle and counted over 18 hawks (mostly red-tailed) along the highway. More than once, we saw two hawks sitting quite close together, so a sure sign that spring is in the air.

On Sunday morning, we were at my parents house (on the look out for the crossbills again who seem to take the weekends off and didn't show) and my mom and I looked up and we saw about 50 crows flying overhead. I've never seen so many together, so that was pretty cool. Dave was out walking the dogs, but he saw them too.

Dave has also been seeing kestrels all over the place on his drive to and from work. He saw a bluebird last week too, so we'll have to get the nesting boxes ready soon. Hopefully they return to the boxes we set up for them last year.

I thought I would post a pic of a bluejay today. We get these guys all year. In late May last year, there would be close to 20 or more of them in the mornings out front. We probably get aroudn 5-8 on any given day. It's hard to be 100% sure of the numbers because they fly in and out so quickly with the peaunts. I like these guys alot- they are loud and make their presence known. I find them to be pretty funny too. In the fall, I was working on a new flower bed out front and I guess I was too close to the peanuts for the blue jay to feel comfortable enough to come in to get some. The jay stayed up in the tree and began to mimic the cry of a hawk at me, I guess to scare me off. I motioned for Dave to come over and we stood there and this guy gave us the business with the hawk cries. We just thought it was so funny! Anyway, we decided to play along and went to work out back instead. Ah, the value of tenacity.