Black-capped Chickadee
This may be the last look at a seasonal Sunday bird with snow this winter as it is now meteorological spring! Now that we have crossed into March, cavity-nesting birds like this Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) will be looking for nesting sites. If you enjoy hosting wild birds by providing nest boxes, now is the time to get them ready. Have you ever put out dog fur for birds to use as nesting material? Chickadees, and other small songbirds that use nest boxes and cavities like the Tufted Titmouse, will take fur that you put out in say, an empty suet cage, and use it to line...
Read MoreTree Swallow
How have your Tree Swallow and Eastern Bluebird nest boxes fared this season? It is getting warm out there, and I hope most of the young have successfully fledged. We are already at the point of the year where barbed wire fences and power lines are being filled with swallows of various types as they fledge, disperse and begin to gather before fall migration. Keep an eye out for more uncommon species such as the Bank Swallow or Cliff Swallow sitting among your Trees or Northern Rough-wingeds. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreHouse Wren
The incomparable and iconic House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) is a star of the screen with its cheery, chattering call reverberating through the background of countless TV shows and movies. It is one of our most geographically widespread songbirds with a huge range across the Americas. A true sign of spring, this May arrival gets right to making a nest in boxes or any other container in and around yards. I have always loved these friendly little birds, but this one definitely went the extra mile in allowing me a couple of close photos on a nest box and a blueberry bush. If you have a yard with...
Read MoreTree Swallow
Happy Easter! This Tree Swallow is one of many returning individuals migrating north this March, heading back to your yard or patch for the spring nesting season. I thought I would show you this bird from last week instead of showing you some eggs from past years and remind everyone to clean out their boxes now! Birds will be pairing up and starting to build those nests next month. After a cool start to April the long-term forecasts for spring look very warm, and there will be plenty of bugs for these birds to eat. Don’t forget to help them out with the spring cleaning… Scott...
Read MoreAmerican Kestrel Female
This female American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) perched on the wire just long enough for me to take a shot while we looked each other in the eye. She is a March migrant, one of many raptors on the move to the north every day now. She will be hunting slowly melting grasslands and fields under the soon to be spring sun. Do you have any American Kestrel nest boxes erected on your large open property or farm? Now is the time to get them up or cleaned. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
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