I'm always delighted when I see Eastern bluebirds, especially when they are visiting my Backyard Bird Buffet. When yesterday dawned cold and soggy, I wasn't expecting to see them, but as Bob and I watched the regular, daily visitors to the Buffet, a little flock of bluebirds joined the crowd and made themselves at home. First this …
The watering-hole gang
Although they don't look exotic, house sparrows are considered an exotic species. They are non-native birds that were introduced into North America in the mid-ninteenth century, and to say they have thrived is putting it mildly. Currently they are thriving in my backyard, and I am not thrilled! Before the big oak tree on the …
It can be a challenge…
... to keep up with the visitors to my back yard buffet. Looking back through recent posts, I realized I'm not doing a very good job of keeping up with the ordinary little birds who visit the "buffet." The fallen tree episode, starling invasion, Christmas cookie baking, and rapscallion deer visitors have dominated my posts for the …
A rare event
Many years ago, when Bob and I relocated from central Pennsylvania to the south shore of Lake Erie, I was a stay-at-home-mom with three little girls. We moved into our new home in January, and we hadn't been living here for long when I realized that something was missing, something I was accustomed to in my former …
If you can’t beat them…
I've been trying, with a remarkable lack of success, to discourage the starlings from taking over the Back Yard Buffet. So now I'm beginning to think about changing my attitude toward these pesky colorful birds. Until someone can come up with a good idea for encouraging these invaders to change their behavior and move on …
Hawk incursion!
A few minutes ago, while I was in the Back Yard Buffet, refilling the water bowl and keeping an eye on Gulliver as he wandered around the yard, a small hawk zoomed into the Buffet. It paused very briefly right in front of me as I stood near the brush pile, but thankfully didn't linger. …
A little bit of water…
...is a very good thing to put out for the birds. Unfortunately we don't have an electric outlet in our back yard buffet, so we can't keep a fountain running throughout the winter. The best I can do is put out a fresh bowl of water in the morning and refill it when it begins to …
Hey, people, what’s happening?
This little house finch is curious about the changes we're making to the back yard buffet in preparation for winter weather. A new season of back yard birding is about to begin, so we purchased a beautiful new hopper feeder from Wild Birds Unlimited, my favorite store for all things bird-related. Bob installed the pole and feeder …
Waiting impatiently!
Hello friends. I have been taking a brief blog break to learn more about Photoshop and Lightroom, (and hopefully improving my photography) , as well as spending more time with my family, and occasionally dusting the furniture. I'm not quite back in full form yet, but hope to be soon. If you are still hanging out along the trail with …
A new back yard visitor
I looked out the kitchen window recently and spotted this visitor at the back yard buffet. It was alone, and it hung around long enough for quite a few photo opps. If you know what it is, I would be glad for an ID. Size-wise, it is about the same as a large blue …
SEEN ALONG THE TRAIL 