March 13-19 2005

Field and Swamp: Animals and Their Habitats

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Bird Blog: March 13-19, 2005

Spring is not just icumen in, but really getting underway. This is prime bird photography season, at least until the leaves come out.

March 19

Today I walked around the neighborhood to see how well I could do without the aid of a birdfeeder.


Downy Woodpecker	American Robin with worm	Male Northern Cardinal	Male Northern Cardinal	Male Northern Cardinal

March 18

This was the first decent weather in several days, and birds abounded, though never in brightly lit places (as usual).


Male Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus), NC Botanical Garden. Note the black malar marking (near beak).	The same Northern Flicker, giving a better view of the malar marking.	Northern Mockingbird, Durham. Birds of these species will sometimes let you get up close and personal, at least for a few moments.	European Starling, Durham.	Mourning Dove, Durham.	Male Eastern Bluebird. He came right away when a co-manager of the Wild Birds Unlimited® store put mealworms in the feeder. See other Eastern Bluebirds.	Female Eastern Bluebird. She came, too.	Male and female Eastern Bluebirds, still waiting in the tree across the way for mealworms to appear.


Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum), Durham. Just a few of a large flock of these birds that landed on a tree near Wild Birds Unlimited®. They didn't stop to use the birdfeeders, though.	Carolina Chickadee. This bird's first trip to the suet.	Tufted Titmouse, elusive for the past few days but caught unsuspecting this time.

March 17

Definitely one of the darkest days of the year -- even at noon! The light wasn't really adequate for taking pictures. The birds came infrequently but in big bunches.


Carolina Chickadee	Red-breasted Nuthatch at suet.	Dark-eyed Junco eating corn dropped by squirrels.	This Yellow-rumped Warbler's yellow crown spot is getting pretty conspicuous.	Another YRW taking off.

March 16

This day was generally rainy and miserable. But several birds were willing to get soaking wet just to get something to eat.


This Yellow-rumped Warbler found something to eat on the deck.	This Pine Warbler went to the suet...	and found a seed.	I caught a glimpse of this male Northern Cardinal from the living room window.	This Red-breasted Nuthatch was on the fake branch of the birdfeeder.

March 15

It's amazing how many birds you can see in shopping centers, and not just where they're building their nests under the eaves!


European Starling, Durham, shopping center.	House Sparrow, Durham, shopping center	Eastern Bluebird, Durham, shopping center	Carolina Wren, Durham, back yard	Yellow-rumped Warbler, Durham, back yard

March 14


American Goldfinch, Durham	Chipping Sparrow, Durham.	This is how most Northern Cardinals in this general vicinity look since I got my scary new zoom lens.	Getting this photo required hiding in a brand-new place.	Brown-headed Nuthatch, Durham, NC.

March 13

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), Seaforth Recreational Area (Jordan Lake), Chatham County, NC. This was apparently a single osprey that periodically circled around above a small inlet from the lake, making loud chirping sounds. Nest construction had gotten some human assistance in the form of a wooden platform.


American Robin	American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)	European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)


Yellow-rumped Warbler, Durham	Chipping Sparrow, in street near Wild Birds Unlimited® birdfeeder, facing my way.