The Sounds of Fall

Yesterday, I was letting the dogs out after work when I heard a bird call that I haven't heard in awhile. It sounded like a nasal laughing, but not the usual kind that Ohioans have become so accustomed to (courtesy of the adorable little White-Breasted Nuthatches which are quite commn around here). This was a slightly higher pitch. I couldn't find the source, but I was absolutely positive I was hearing the smaller version, with slightly different markings, the Red-Breasted Nuthatch. I have seen these only a few times, they prefer coolere weather and so they nest north of here. But in the fall, they come down for the slightly warmer winters. It was nice to hear it even if I didn't see it. If you put out suet or sunflowe/safflower, you might get a glimpse of this little guy, looks about like a chickadee, but with a white eye stripe and the black comes lower on the head, also a very slightly reddish wash on the belly (where it got it's name). One way you can be 100% certain that it is a nuthatch you are looking at is that these are the only birds that walk down a tree trunk Face First. All others, if they walk down the trunk, do it tail first.

An Amazing Day

I've had one of (if not the) best birding days ever. I got up at 7:30 as I do every Saturday, let the doggies out, and then started hanging my feeders. On my second trip to the tree, I saw movement through the treeline that separates our yard from the neighboors. I thought one of them was gardening, which wouldn't be odd, even at 7:30am on a Saturday. Nope, it was just a deer, probably eating the neighbors pear trees. It froze instantly and almost disappeared. By the time I was making trip 3 to the tree, it was gone. I finished putting out the sunflower/safflower mix, the millet niger mix, the oriole feeder, the orange slice to attact the orioles, the niger sock, and the suet (berry flavor). And went in to brew my coffee, who did I see from my kitchen window? Mr. Indigo Bunting himself. Oh I was soooo happy.

Here is a picture I borrowed from a nature photographer. It was the closest to doing them justice. Only yesterday I started to wonder if they were back and had forgotten about the crazy bird lady. When I looked it up on the Internet yesterday morning, I found a birders list who is nearby. They had the Indigo Buntings listed as returning in mid May, whew I thought, they are probably still migrating. Okay so I won't give you a blow by blow, but here is a wildlife list for today:
White-tailed Deer
White Crowned Sparrows
Chipping Sparrow
Mr. Indigo Bunting
Mr. Bluebird (who wants to evict Mr. & Mrs Chickadee from the bluebird house over our leachfield)
Mr. Downy Woodpecker
Mr. Hairy Woodpecker
Mr. Red Bellied Woodpecker
Roufus Sided (or Eastern) Towhee (Mr.)
Mr. Ruby Throated Hummingbird
Mr. Rose Breasted Grossbeak (who btw was singing so happily as I hauled out his breakfast)
Mrs. Grossbeak too
Black Capped Chickadees
Mr. and Mrs House Finch
Mr. and Mrs. American Goldfinch
The Northern Cardinals
Many many many Gray Catbirds (who apparently can't resist berry-flavored suet)
American Robins
Tufted Titmouse
One unidentified bird (I'll try to figure that out later)
A Red Fox!!! (crossing the street as I returned home from the grocery store)
And My first sighting of Mr. Baltimore Oriole!!!! God is he a looker!!! (thanks to my 5 yr. old for pointing him out to me. I must admit when she said "Mommy there's an oriole" I figured Mr. and Mrs. Housefinch were sipping again, but nope, she was right!!) I can't believe that my husband saw him 9 days ago and I had to wait. He was worth it though, totally gorgeous.
I've seen every one of my favorite birds today. Just imagine the most intense shades of Orange, Blue, Red and Yellow you have ever seen and that describes The Oriole, the Bunting, the Cardinal and the Goldfinch respectively (and all Male of course).