Birds at My Feeder Regency s Commonest Yard Visitors
Getting started on the road to birding Many of us got our start as birders by watching birds at a feeder in our yard. Your watching will benefit from the use of a pair of binoculars. You may not want to invest in an expensive pair at first, but be sure whatever you use is easy to focus and does not give you a distorted image. Practice using your binoculars until you can easily find and focus quickly on a bird it s a skill you ll need later on. You should also have access to a bird guide a book listing birds with pictures and text on the same page. Until you decide to travel, a book that covers just the common birds of Virginia should be fine. Read through the book and learn how it is organized. Most guides use taxonomic order, not alphabetical order. Taxonomic order lists birds so that related birds occur on adjoining pages. The perching birds, passerines, appear at the back of the book, water birds, game birds and hawks are towards the front. You should get comfortable with finding a particular bird by its appearance, not its name. Now fill up your feeders and start watching. You may want to take notes of what you see. As your birding skills progress you ll find that taking notes becomes a central part of your birding experience. Before long you ll have a surprising list of different birds that have visited your yard. On the following pages we will review the birds we can commonly find in our yards at Regency at any season.
American Goldfinch Goldfinches will come to your feeder at any time of the year, but are more reliable after September and before June. During the warmer months there are plenty of wild seeds and insects for them to eat. In the spring males molt into the bright black and yellow plumage pictured here; females are not as showy. Winter goldfinches are all rather dull looking. Goldfinches sing rich and varied songs, and you can learn to recognize their call, perchickory, as they fly above you. These bar graphs are summaries of my records in ebird for Regency (2008-2015)
House Finch House finches will come to your feeder at any time of the year even in mid-summer. Males have an orangey-red wash on head, throat and breast. Females are all brown. The House Finch, a native of the Southwest, was transplanted to New York City in the 1940s, and has adapted to life in the East, especially suburbs. This eastern population has now spread all across the country and can be found wherever there is human habitation. They are one of the common songsters near your house in the spring so it s song should be easy to learn.
House Sparrow House sparrows will come to your feeder at any time of the year even in mid-summer. Males are distinctively marked with gray cap, brown ear coverts and nape, pale gray cheek and black throat. Females are all brown. The House Sparrow, a native of Eurasia, was transplanted to New York City in the 1800s, where they thrived on the droppings of the horses common to the roads in that era. This eastern population has now spread all across the country and can be found wherever there is human habitation. In Regency, we have several local groups, probably extended families, but I do not see them in everyone s yard. They are only occasional at my feeder for example.
Carolina Chickadee Carolina chickadees are Virginia natives and resident year-round. Their range on the East Coast extends from The Pennsylvania-Maryland border south to Florida and west to the Great Plains and central Texas. To the north, and in the higher mountains in Virginia they are replaced by the very similar Black-capped Chickadee. One of the challenges for me when I moved to Virginia, was how to tell the two apart. At all seasons they make their living gleaning insects from tree trunks and limbs, but are happy to vary their diet with black oil seeds from your feeder. Unlike the finches, they will take a seed then leave to consume it in the safety of a bush. Their fee-be-oh song is one of the first signs of spring. Their dee-dee-dee call can be heard at any season. They are hole nesters, using abandoned woodpecker holes, or excavating their own in soft, rotted wood.
Tufted Titmouse The Tufted Titmouse is a cousin of the Carolina Chickadee. Like the chickadees they make their living gleaning insects from tree trunks and limbs, but are happy to vary their diet with black oil seeds from your feeder. Their peter-peter-peter song is one of the loudest you ll hear in the woods. Walking on the Nature Trail, you may hear several singing in different parts of the woodland. They are hole nesters.
Northern Cardinal Always the colorful bird at your feeder, even the duller female shows a lot of red. Their thick bills are adapted for cracking seeds, so you will find them among the first to patronize your sunflower and black oil seed feeders. Their deep-throated whistling song is heard starting in late winter and throughout the spring. At other seasons one is often alerted to their presence by their sharp check notes. Cardinals do not migrate, so we have them with us all year. On the East Coast cardinals are resident from the Canadian provinces to Florida, They are found as far west as the Rocky Mountains with one population extending into southern Arizona.
White-breasted Nuthatch This little black, gray and white bird is distinctive at your feeder as it will often hang upside down while looking for just the right seed to carry off. They are often found on tree trunks with the same head-down posture. Listen for their yank-yank call as they flit from tree to feeder and back. White-breasted nuthatches are year-round Virginia residents, and like the chickadee and titmouse they make their living picking insects from tree bark. They range all across the US in woodland habitats. They nest in holes in tree trunks.
Downy Woodpecker The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker in Virginia. Males show a little red at the back of the head, but otherwise are black and white, like the female. Downies make their living pecking insects out of tree bark, but they will happily take sunflower seeds or suet from your feeder. Like all woodpeckers, they drum on hollow spots of tree limbs and trunks to announce their territory, but they also call to one another with a high-pitched peek note that you can learn to recognize. Like most of our woodpeckers they do not migrate. They excavate a nest each year.
Red-bellied Woodpecker The Red-bellied Woodpecker is another yearround resident woodpecker in Virginia. Males show a red from crown to nape, but otherwise are black and white, like the female, with a tan belly (the trace of pink belly feathering seen on some study skins led to the unfortunate choice of common name). Like other woodpeckers, Red-bellies make their living pecking insects out of tree bark, but they will happily take sunflower seeds or suet from your feeder. Like all woodpeckers, they drum on hollow spots of tree limbs and trunks to announce their territory, but they also call to one another with a loud churrr note that you should learn to recognize. Like most of our woodpeckers they do not migrate. They excavate a nest each year.
Pileated Woodpecker The Pileated Woodpecker is our largest resident woodpecker. And since the extinction of the Ivorybilled Woodpecker it is the largest in the US. Males and females show red on the crown. The male sports a red malar stripe, which on the female is black. Like other woodpeckers, Pileateds make their living pecking insects out of tree bark, although, because of their heavier equipment, they can excavate much more deeply into the wood, especially on dying trees. They are most attracted to suet. Like all woodpeckers, they drum on hollow spots of tree limbs and trunks to announce their territory, but they also call to one another with loud, deep wek notes that you can learn to recognize. You can also recognize their slow powerful drumming which accelerates then tapers at the end. Like most of our woodpeckers they do not migrate. They excavate a nest each year.
Northern Flicker There are two well-marked subspecies of Northern Flicker. In Virginia (and the East in general) the subspecies is the Yellow-shafted Flicker. A male flicker is pictured here - note the black malar-stripe and gray head. Redshafted (the other subspecies) shows a red malar, a tan crown and gray face. Flicker spend more time on the ground than other woodpeckers, but they will come to your suet. In the warmer weather they eat a lot of ants and termites. Flickers are migratory, but they don t migrate far. Our breeding flickers may go to Florida for the winter, but they are replaced by others from New England and Canada.
European Starling You have to admit the Starling is a handsome bird, all glossy and speckled, with a bright yellow bill. Nonetheless, when a flock of them descends on your feeders and chases the other birds away you can t be blamed for thinking of them as hoodlums. The starling, like the House Sparrow, was imported in the 1800s from Europe, where, on average, they behave with more decorum. Starlings have adapted to living with humans and today one finds them everywhere in the continental US and southern Canada. Besides ravaging our feeders, in mid-winter starling flocks strip our ornamental Bradford Pear Trees of their small but tasty fruits.
Carolina Wren Carolina wrens are insectivores and as such do not normally take seeds. They do like suet and will often take shelled peanuts. These little residents of Virginia are very vocal and can be heard singing even in winter on mild days. Their ringing and very varied songs are always a welcome sound. One song seems to say tea kettle, tea kettle, tea kettle. Carolina wrens usually stick to the denser bushes, but they may choose to build their nest in a potted plant or lantern on your deck.
Mourning Dove The Mourning Dove is a relative of the common Rock Pigeon that is so common in city parks. Mourning doves prefer to take spilled seeds from the ground, although they may come to a platform feeder. They build a very flimsy-looking nest out of twigs and you may find one in a bush in your yard. The Mourning Dove s cooing sounds mournful to some, hence the common name. The Mourning Dove is a game bird hunted in Virginia.
Blue Jay The Blue Jay is a noisy bird with a reputation for being aggressive. Their arrival at your feeder may indeed scatter the other birds. Blue Jays are a migratory species, but they do not travel far. Our summer birds may go as far as Florida; our winter birds probably spent the summer in New York or New England. Unlike most passerines, jays migrate by day, not at night. So in spring and fall it is possible to see hundreds of jays passing overhead on days when the weather is good. We do not have many jays in Regency, and I don t know why. If you go to Silver Lake Park, less than a mile from here, jays are much easier to find. The jay is not noted for his ability as a mimic, but for some reason, jays have learned to do a pretty good impersonation of a Red-shouldered Hawk. I have been fooled more than once.
American Crow American crows will take food wherever they can find it, including your feeders. They are properly wary of people and will often leave if they catch you peeking out of the window. There are probably one or two American crow nests on Regency property each year, but the parents are very careful not to attract attention. Crows stay here all year, but in the winter in Northern Virginia they form large roosts of several thousand birds at night. Flocks of crows can be seen every winter evening heading for the local roost, then these roosts disperse in the morning as the crows spread out to look for their day s meals. Interestingly, if you go into the town of Haymarket many of the crows you ll find there are Fish Crows nearly identical in appearance but easily distinguished by voice.
Eastern Bluebird Surprisingly Eastern Bluebirds are year-round residents here in Virginia. They do not migrate. Life in the winter can be tough for this insectivorous bird; bluebird flocks spend much of the winter in the woods eking out a living on berries and a few grubs. Fortunately some folks here put out mealworms. Here s a momma bluebird feeding mealworms to her hungry brood. The bluebird s song, while not very impressive, is easy to learn. Once you know it, you ll learn that bluebirds are almost always in the neighborhood.
American Robin American Robins, while the folkloric heralds of spring s return, are actually here all winter. Most of them have left the neighborhood lawns to join up with big flocks that scour the countryside in search of berry corps. They occasionally return to Regency in midwinter to help the starlings and bluebirds strip the crop of Bradford pears. Here is my photo of part of the robin flock feeding along Championship Drive in February 2014. The song of the robin is easily learned an should be on the study list of the beginning birder.
Northern Mockingbird The Northern Mockingbird is a resident in Virginia. They are a regular fixture in your neighborhood. But they seldom visit feeders since their favorite food is fruit, notably the berries on your ornamental bushes. A mockingbird is a remarkable singer and a professional mimic. Mockingbirds can reproduce the songs of many of the other birds in your neighborhood. What gives them away is that they often pick a phrase they like and repeat it several times something the original author would not do. Mockingbirds will often sing at night in the summer months so they re the ones to blame if it s keeping you awake.
Song Sparrow The Song Sparrow is a year-round resident in Virginia. It is a relatively shy sparrow and is less often seen at feeders than some of its wintering cousins (e.g. White-throated Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco). It s song series of trills and clear notes is a common sound in our neighborhoods, starting in early spring. They often sing from a roof-top or tall tree. Like many sparrows, its plumage is a combination of grays, browns and whites. A telltale mark for the Song Sparrow is the black spot in the middle of its breast.
Cooper s Hawk The Cooper s Hawk is a bird you may see at your feeder, but it s not eating your feed; it s eating the birds that come to the feeder. Pictured here are a young Cooper s on the left and an adult on the right; adults have a dark gray back, a red and white barred breast, and a red eye. Cooper s hawks are seen in the Regency neighborhood all year-long (see bar chart below). I don t know if they have nested locally they re very wary and finding their nest is a challenge but they certainly take advantage of the abundant local bird-life in all seasons. They hunt from low perches, flying directly at their prey.