Birding in my Parents’ Backyard
On the day that Fred Bassett banded my mom’s hummingbirds, I spent a couple of hours with my parents birding in their backyard. It’s an awesome garden planted with all sorts of native plants to attract birds. It attracted a rainbow of feathered friends!
The Painted Buntings found my parents’ backyard several years ago. Each year another bird or two joins the party. My mom reported seeing four males together – that’s a beautiful sight!
A pair of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers darted in and out of this salvia plant. They are such fun to photograph as they flutter, pretending to be hummingbirds.
When I least expected it, a flash of orange appeared at the bird bath. A Baltimore Oriole! He got a quick drink and disappeared as quickly as he arrived. It’s amazing how well he blends in to the barren trees.
The birdbath was a popular place. This Blue Jay fussed a lot before he sipped. Nearby, a Red-bellied Woodpecker and Gray Catbird both eyed the bath as they sampled from the suet feeder.
I looked up and spotted four American White Pelicans circling overhead. They like to roost on the lake across the street. The bump on the bird’s beak is part of its breeding plumage.
After Fred left, we watched for our newly-banded birds to nectar in the backyard. Since the bands are not easily visible while the birds are flying, we watched for the pink marks that Fred left on the back of the birds’ heads. This male Ruby-throated didn’t have a pink mark on the back of his head. So we missed at least one! ;-)
