Costa Rica abounds in beautiful birds and butterflies. Some of the nature centers and wildlife refuges have birdfeeders so you can get a closer look at the colorful display. At Monteverde, there is a hummingbird garden with many feeders and the hummingbirds are flitting all around – including sitting on your fingers. Enjoy some of…
Tag: Birds
Winter Visitors
While not a fan of cold winters, the bright spot during the long, chilly days are the birds that stop by for a drink at the heated bird bath or to take advantage of our feeders. Some of our recent sightings.
Summer Scene
I am enjoying our summer flowers and birds today. I love the summer plumage of the goldfinch and the scene as he stops by to eat some seeds from the cone flowers. (The silver/gray in the back of the photo is Dichondra (silver falls) from a hanging basket in a tree — Dichondra makes a…
Watching Eagles
Have you seen the bald eagle camera at Codorus State Park in Pennsylvania? It is fun to watch the eagles whether you are an adult or to share with children. Right now the nest is covered with snow and it is well below freezing but the eagles are still on the eggs. You can see…
Snowy Day
Here are some photographs from our snowfall yesterday. The photo above includes a white throat sparrow, dark eyed junco, goldfinch and female cardinal – four different birds all sitting on same branch in the snow. While the temperature is in the single digits today, hopefully warmer weather and spring will be here soon. Snow fell…
Winter’s Joy
We are having a cold winter with some snow but the snow is not as deep as last winter. One of the joys of the winter is watching the birds at the feeders. Their color and constant motion add beauty to the cold winter. For feeding we use five main types of food – black…
Winter’s Blue
One of the joys of winter in our area is the profusion of Eastern Bluebirds. Once rare, the bluebirds have made a comeback in the last 20 years as residents construct bluebird trails and conserve natural areas. The bluebirds are year-round residents but tend to stay in the woods in the summer. Once the cold…
Having a Bluebird Day
Although I am not a cold weather person, one of the joys of the winter is the Eastern Bluebirds which arrive to feast on mealworms. Bluebirds have made a big comeback in the area in the past twenty years with many people providing boxes for nesting and an active Pennsylvania Bluebird Society. If you want…
Feasting on the Wreath
Each year after we remove the decorations from the Christmas tree, we put the tree in the yard to serve as cover for the birds during the cold and snowy days of winter. This year I purchased a wreath made with fresh greens including juniper which has lots of little blue berries. When I finished…
2013 Great Backyard Bird Count
This weekend is the Great Backyard Bird Count sponsored by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. The four-day count is an opportunity for bird watchers from all over the United States and Canada to submit a list of the different species visiting their yards. Participants count birds for as little as 15 minutes…
Water for the Birds in Winter
A source of clean fresh water is essential for the birds. During much of the year, they can find natural sources but as winter hits in many areas, the creeks and puddles become frozen. During the winter, a birdbath will be very popular with the local birds. If you live where it drops below freezing…
Two Sparrows
There are two different types of sparrows sitting in our discarded Christmas tree (Christmas trees make great cover for the birds during the winter. After we remove the decorations, we move it to the patio for the birds). The upper sparrow is a song sparrow and the lower is the easily identified white-throat sparrow. Here…
The Pileated Feeder
The pileated woodpecker is a large, shy woodpecker that does not normally frequent feeders. Although, it usually stays in the woods, we are often treated to the sight of a pair of pileateds that live in the woods behind our house as they come to the edge of the tree line to feed. Though not…
Find the White Throat
Even though it is officially spring, we have a few of our “winter” birds still taking advantage of the bird seed. There are a some dark-eyed juncos and I saw this white throated sparrow today hopping among the spring flowers and weeds (Look in the back in front of the boulder). They will leave soon for their summer…
Flowers and Phoebes
You know that spring is arriving in our area when you hear the call of the Eastern Phoebe in the early morning. The phoebe is a small gray flycatcher and usually arrives in the early spring. According to local folklore, it is time to buy the Easter ham when you hear the phoebe. However, this year…
Great Backyard Bird Count
This past weekend was the Great Backyard Bird Count sponsored by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. The four-day count is an opportunity for bird watchers from all over the United States and Canada to submit a list of the different species visiting their yards. Participants count birds for as little as 15…
Dark-Eyed Juncos
Arriving in October and staying until April, the dark-eyed juncos,also know as snowbirds, are a common winter bird in southeastern Pennsylvania.Often seen in flocks of 20 to 30, they are ground feeders and like a variety of mixed seeds.
Nature and Life Notes 