Being & Birds

I’m feeling thankful to have an eBird yard list. For 5 years I’ve been submitting eBird checklists from my yard. I’ve submitted 338 checklists and have observed 82 species. Birds seen all year long and in abundance include Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, American Crow, House Finch, and Black-capped Chickadee. Here’s a summary of the birds I’ve seen throughout the years in my yard.

Spring – Fox Sparrow, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Double-crested Cormorant

In April I look forward to welcoming back the Fox Sparrow. After a long, cold winter I am practically glued to the window with anticipation of its arrival.

In the spring and summer months, flyovers of Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, and Double-crested Cormorant are common. There’s a nearby rookery on the Mississippi River. I imagine they are going to and fro. Sometimes the Great Blue Heron will fly so low its wing tips nearly touch the tops of the trees.

Summer – Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Northern House Wren

Each summer I would feel lucky to get at least one sighting of Ruby-throated Hummingbird. It would typically inspect the Blue Spruce and then fly off, not to be seen until next year. This year I saw it a few times in the vegetable garden. It was enjoying the blossoms of the Super 100 tomato and the Butterfly Weed. The Butterly Weed was very popular with the insects, including the Common Eastern Bumble Bee. I highly recommend planting that in your garden.

A bird that brings a lot of liveliness to the yard with its song is the Northern House Wren. It appears in May and is gone by early August. It feels too brief and I wish it would stay longer.

Fall – Red-breasted Nuthatch

The Red-breasted Nuthatch is a bird I’m always delighted to see in my backyard. I have seen it in all months of the year except November. On early mornings in July of this year I saw it on my bird bath, but it’s typically on the Blue Spruce or Eastern White Pine. eBird observations of Red-breasted Nuthatch are not too common in my county in July. It feels like a special bird to see in my yard nearly all year long.

In November the sun sets just after 5 o’clock. I’m typically lazing on the couch and whining about the darkness and cold weather. Nothing lifts my spirits more than hearing “hoo-h’HOO-hoo-hoo” from just outside my window. The Great Horned Owl. No matter the individual bird, I’ve lovingly named it Frosty. (Credit to Cornell’s All About Birds for the phonetic owl call.)

Winter – Woodpeckers

Winter birding can be slow. But the woodpeckers are reliable, including Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, and Red-bellied Woodpecker. If I’m having an extra lucky day I will see the Pileated Woodpecker on the Eastern White Pine or taking a drink from the bird bath (if it isn’t frozen).

About my yard

Now that I’ve given you the scoop on the birds I’ve seen in my yard here are a few notes about the habitat of my yard. I’ve previously mentioned the Eastern White Pine and Blue Spruce. The only deciduous tree that I have is a White Ash. I have 3 bird baths and no feeders (although I contemplate putting out suet in winter). I also have a lot of open green space in my yard (which is almost all ground ivy). The Northern Flicker seems to enjoy the open space, usually seen on the ground using its bill to dig in the dirt. Of the trees that I can see and identify, my neighborhood has lots of maples, some willow, a couple cottonwood, basswood, honey locust, apple trees, and crabapples.

Goal setting

Another thing worth mentioning is that keeping a yard list has helped me set small goals. For example, one of my goals was to submit a checklist for each day of the second week of August. That way my eBird bar charts would have sufficient data to show me the birds likely to be seen that week of the year. An upcoming goal that I have is to keep my eyes out for a Red-breasted Nuthatch during the month of November. It would be fun to say that I’ve seen that bird each month of the year.

If you haven’t started your yard list, now is the time! All you need is a yard or a space to watch birds on the regular. I recommend using the eBird documentation to learn more. It’s a resource that I’ve found helpful. Happy birding!