Hi, mboston. You have some pretty good birds, all right. Okay, so are you thinking the bird in the top picture is not a brown thrasher? I really can't see him well enough to tell, but the reason I'm curious is because most thrushes are not common yard birds at all. So if it is a one of the thrushes, it would really be a nice surprise. It could be a migrating veery, and that would be fun. They are brown, quite plain, but smaller and more compact than thrashers. All of our thrushes seem to be mostly passing through during migration. Wish I had one to show up here! Yes, that's a mourning dove, which is usually the more common one, by far. Nuthatches tend to run up and down the tree trunks, hanging on like little woodpeckers. They have a short tail and look somewhat stubbier than titmice, plus they don't have the crest. And they're not real common in most backyards. I would be ECSTATIC to have one show up here. I've only ever seen them two or three times. Titmice have the little pointed crest, and are so cute and sweet. A common but always adorable little bird. This is almost as good a time of year for many birds as the spring is. We should start seeing migrating goldfinches again soon, and who knows what! Congratulations on all your wildlife, on your fun photos, and on just knowing how special they all are!! Marcia

I'm sure your landscape lures more birds into your yard and makes them feel safer when they are visiting your feeders, Gary-. It's great to hear that you have so many wonderful species coming by. I get quite a few goldfinches at a time, too. They seem happiest in flocks, like the chipping sparrows do. But mine LOVE the thistle sock. They will eat sunflower seeds, etc, from the tray feeder, too, but the sock will sometimes be completely covered by clinging birds. Last year they emptied several completely. And they stayed until they were almost in full breeding plumage. It was fun to watch them go from grayish brown and black to brilliant yellow and black. Yep, they are cheerful little birds that brighten the yard, and I'm always sorry to see them go. But when they have buntings with them, both painted and indigo, it's even better. I noticed last year, btw, that the indigo buntings spent as much time picking through the grass as they did on the feeder tray. They were down there with the chipping sparrows an awful lot. Have you seen that, too? Marcia

I never give them anything that is bigger than medium. I ordered small ones once, but they didn't like them very much. I never realized birds could be so picky. They are as bad as my cat. For now I'm spacing out the mealies I have and will dip into my breeding box if need be for a few each day. I ordered some waxworms to try. Of course I realize that these birds were fine without me and my mealworms, and they'll be fine without me. Heck, if they could just eat a few mosquitos they'd be stuffed. They are really big this year! Thank you all of your responses. I found lots of info on later pages. I just didn't look as far as I should have. tara

Claire, It was lovely here today as well, up into the mid-50's. I went for a walk near one of the oxbow ponds and although the water still had ice on about half of the surface, the birds were enjoying the entire area. Ravens and gulls walking on the ice, geese, ducks, and 2 kinds of mergansers in the water, and chickadees and a mockingbird in the shrubs on the margins. There was also an eagle overhead, but I didn't have a camera with me. Do you put the lawn dragon in the same spot each season or does he migrate around a bit? Jane, your chipmunk looks about set to pop with all that seed in his cheeks. I love the kestrel photos. Kestrels are another favorite bird of mine; they are quite common in Ohio, and their rarity here was one disappointment when I moved to New England. I love the feather patterns for both sexes, and also like watching them fly - they can hover to look for potential prey.