Winter is fighting to maintain its control here in this part of the country and the birds appear to be somewhat dazed and confused. We are in our seventh month of winter and I am sure that like me, they are ready to be done with it. It is not uncommon to see irregular visitors at my bird feeders in spring and autumn, when the birds are migrating. Last Friday, however, I saw three species that I had never previously seen in this setting.
My bird feeders are situated just outside my kitchen window, where I spend a great deal of time at the kitchen sink, cooking and washing dishes. I get to observe the birds’ comings and goings on a regular basis. We had a hard freeze Friday night and again on Saturday. I suspect that this brutal weather, bearing down on us so late in the season, caused the birds distress and it could have possibly blown them off course in their migration.
I was truly delighted to see a Spotted Towhee on the 10th of May. I saw it again on Friday. I was more than a little surprised when I saw a Western Meadowlark a little while later. Then I saw very briefly, a small bird with brilliant blue. I believe it may have been a Lazuli Bunting, though it did not stay long enough for me to make a positive identification.
In spite of the unfriendly weather that is the rule here, I have counted more than a dozen small bird species. There is also a hawk in the area, which I believe has a nest nearby and takes advantage of the easy prey around bird feeders. Yesterday, there were three baby squirrels having a meal on the ground below the feeders. Global warming and climate change is making life difficult for many species. I help them out by offering black-oil sunflower seeds and more. I have had my hummingbird feeders up for a couple of weeks, but have not yet seen the only hummingbird species indigenous to the area – the Broadtail. I am waiting for the soil to warm enough so that I can plant agastache and other flowers that they love. In the meantime, they have only my meager offerings to help sustain them.
