A few cold weather snaps recently have set into motion the migration reflex of the birds, who visit us each Spring for the duration of the summer. The Hummingbird appeared very briefly the day before yesterday and didn’t appear, or at least we didn’t see it, yesterday at all! The wasps, in their absence, are having a “Field Day”, although they aren’t keen on cool weather either, me thinks.
It isn’t all doom and gloom though, because we are still being visited by an immature Red Breasted Grosbeak, who is still enjoying our hanging Birdie Block feeder. Despite his brownish, unfinished black feathers and not so bright chest and underside colouring, he feeds for quite long periods, feeling relatively safe. We don’t get this variety of Grosbeak here in our garden very often, with maybe a couple of them just popping in, at springtime, on their way through to somewhere else. They never stop over, so our chances of seeing them are slim. A friend, who lives not very far away, with a much more treed property than ours gets them for the duration of summer. He also gets a nesting Phoebe each year, in his overhanging porch area behind his house, as well as a Robin, so he does pretty well bird-wise.
Talking of Robins, they seem to have made themselves a lot scarcer this past year for some reason. I certainly haven’t seen them very often during this very green but very hot summer, compared to other years. Maybe they went a bit further north than they usually do. At the first onset of the very hot weather, they would take baths quite regularly, but then that activity ceased soon after nesting time and they, along with their siblings, disappeared! That is a little surprising because we obviously have grubs in our grass, because the Skunks, or Raccoons, are still leaving a few holes, after their nighttime digging activities! I do wish that they would put back the divots they dig out though!
Our slightly more regular birds continue to visit, and they were joined by a Red Breasted Nuthatch, who seems to have made himself at home, at least for a few days anyway. What a lovely little fellow he is, and also one of those birds that never sits still for long, so you have to be quick to get a good view of him, especially if there is no sunlight to accentuate his beautiful colours. Hopefully you too are still enjoying the summer birds. Stay safe and well.
Cheers, John Baldwin
