Tag Archives: Backyard birds

March Backyard Birds – 1

Less than a week ago, we waded through a foot of new powder snow to get out to the river. Lots of melting and new arrivals on the river this week – and it’s a great time to anticipate warmer … Continue reading

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Backyard Birds 1

Living next to a river is great — we paddle on it, ski on it some winters, and have an ever-delightful array of wildlife to watch. On perhaps my last paddle of the year, I flushed these mallards just upstream … Continue reading

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Paddling With Mergs

Until the last few days, we’ve had a small group of Common Mergansers on the river behind our house. In several kayak outings I’ve mixed with them, and when I had my camera onboard, trying to photograph them. With a … Continue reading

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Baby Monitors for the Birds

Buttoning up windows for winter is great for energy conservation but no longer can you hear the “toot” on the Red-breasted Nuthatch or the chatter of Common Redpolls.  Rich Guthrie, who write a great birding blog, discovered a simple solution to … Continue reading

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Redpolls — Where Have You Been?

Common Redpolls arrived at our feeders in late November and ate us out of house and home for about a week — and vanished until today.  I’ve not seen any Redpolls in the woods or anywhere around central Vermont but … Continue reading

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Birding Once Again

I’ve been laid up after last Thursday’s surgery and while I have enjoyed watching birds coming to our feeders, it was nice to get out in the woods early this frosty morning for my first outdoor outing in nearly a … Continue reading

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The Supply-side Economics of Bird Feeding

Ever watch a Black-capped Chickadee or White-breasted Nuthatch pick away at the feeder, discarding stuff left and right until a sunflower seed pops up? I have a deck littered with millet and other rejected seeds as Nuthatches, Chickadees, and finches … Continue reading

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Project Feeder Watch Starts Soon

The 26th season of Project FeederWatch begins November 10, and participants are needed more than ever. By watching your feeders from November through April and submitting what you see, you’re making it possible for scientists to keep track of changing bird populations across the … Continue reading

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Bird Larders – storing up for winter

I’ve been watching birds cache food this week. The days are shorter, and the birds are preparing for the next season. The nuthatches prefer the hulled sunflower, and they’re choosing the heavier seeds as those are the ones higher in … Continue reading

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Brown Creepers Make Me Smile

Walking in the woods yesterday afternoon, I heard a loud “see” call. I thought it might be a White-throated Sparrow or even a Dark-eyed Junco but as I searched, I saw a little brown bird climbing up a White Pine. … Continue reading

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