January 17, 2022 Currently, the Big Yard is frozen. With today’s magnificent hummingbird and flock wild turkeys, only 39 species so far for 2022. Where are the pine siskins? The rosy pink and crisply streaked Cassin’s finches? The rufous-crowned sparrows and green-tailed juncos? Where is my favorite yard bird—my lone red-breasted nuthatch?
I am getting anywhere from 1-6 Pine Siskins, very low for the winter and have several Green-tailed Towhees but totally missing Rufous-crowned Sparrows which are usually common throughout the year. I never get nuthatches (well, only once) and have seen no Cassin's Finches or juncos either. It's a strange winter. Am trying to be more aware of my carbon footprint and can't see why I should drive many miles to see 'rare' birds that I've seen before just because they are here. It's bad enough that I have to make a 45mile round trip just to go to Benson for groceries. We are thinking about moving......
It sounds like we have very similar weather at the moment. I don't think I've ever been one for chasing "ticks" and as a consequence my list are relatively short. That's not to say I don't get a kick out of something new appearing in my garden or something that appears infrequently and I haven't seen for a few years, but I get just as much pleasure from seeing something that I see everyday. At the moment there is a robin (a different bird to your robin) that sits in my hawthorn tree every morning singing and there are at least two others I can hear in the distance responding. It's that time of year when breeding territories are important to that little bird and the byproduct is I get to listen to some of the best singing in town.
I am getting anywhere from 1-6 Pine Siskins, very low for the winter and have several Green-tailed Towhees but totally missing Rufous-crowned Sparrows which are usually common throughout the year. I never get nuthatches (well, only once) and have seen no Cassin's Finches or juncos either. It's a strange winter. Am trying to be more aware of my carbon footprint and can't see why I should drive many miles to see 'rare' birds that I've seen before just because they are here. It's bad enough that I have to make a 45mile round trip just to go to Benson for groceries. We are thinking about moving......
It sounds like we have very similar weather at the moment. I don't think I've ever been one for chasing "ticks" and as a consequence my list are relatively short. That's not to say I don't get a kick out of something new appearing in my garden or something that appears infrequently and I haven't seen for a few years, but I get just as much pleasure from seeing something that I see everyday. At the moment there is a robin (a different bird to your robin) that sits in my hawthorn tree every morning singing and there are at least two others I can hear in the distance responding. It's that time of year when breeding territories are important to that little bird and the byproduct is I get to listen to some of the best singing in town.