APRIL 2009

We still have large numbers of White-crowned sparrows as well as White-throated sparrows in and around our yard. They will likely stay around for a couple of more weeks before heading north.


White-crowned Sparrow under our feeder.


White-throated sparrow under our feeder.

Yesterday, a Brown Thrasher was singing from a tree in our yard and we have been hearing a Yellow Warbler. Many White-crowned sparrows remain in and around the yard and under the feeder. They are all very vocal--singing nearly continuously as they scratch the ground for seed.

Robins have already build a nest in one of our Washington Hawthorn trees. We normally have several Robin nests throughout the yard during the course of a season. I checked yesterday and there was already at least one egg in the nest. They like the hawthorn trees as the thorns afford some protection from predators.

"...Drink your Tea!..." That's the classic song of the Eastern Towhee and most appropriate for a posting on the Birds and the Teas. We have had a Towhee in and around our backyard for the last week and this morning he showed up under our feeder. Here's an image we captured by holding our digital camera up to one eyepiece of our binoculars.

Read more about the Eastern Towhee and listen to the song at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's great web site here.

We heard our first Purple Martins of the season this evening!