Category: Birds

This was not our unexpected visitor, but it bears a close resemblance. Harry and I were surprised to look out our window last week to see a Great Blue Heron. We’ve recently added a water feature to our backyard, and apparently the heron was checking on the possibility of fish. Finding none, it soon took flight.  It was exciting to see, and we have a new entry for our backyard bird list.

This image was taken at Warriors Path State Park in Kingsport, Tennessee .  Will I get one in our backyard?  Time will tell.  Some fish may help my chances.

I enjoy mockingbirds – especially their singing. However, this past week I was not happy with the one pictured above.  It decided to take over the yard as its personal domain. For three days it chased all other birds from the feeders and wouldn’t even let them get close.

We finally used my homemade peanut butter suet, one of its favorite foods, to entice it into a live trap. Harry released it at the Lexington Arboretum. So far, the mockingbird hasn’t come back and the birds are at the feeders again. The male cardinals are also acting a bit territorial recently and I’m wondering if these are signs that spring is on the way.

We enjoy our backyard birds year around, especially in winter when the rest of the plants are dormant.  We’ve recently discovered that blue jays like raw unshelled peanuts – a lot.  When I put them out, the blue jays soon appear. They swoosh in, grab a peanut, and immediately fly out of the yard where I can’t see them.  I don’t know where they go, but I’m guessing they hide the nuts for later. At any rate, they immediately come back for more until all the peanuts are gone. It makes for great entertainment. This image is a close-up of one that came to the feeder next to our dining room window.