I think the chickadees, titmice and downies have had a bumper crop this year! I've never seen (or heard) so many dee-dee-dee's before, it's so fun! So far I've only seen one young red-bellied but they maybe only bringing one at a time to the feeder. And just one young cardinal - which really is not a bad thing, I can only imagine what it will be like if all 70 cardinals from last winter bring all there babies to the feeders - I'll have to take out a loan for birdseed. I've also seen house wren, phoebe and catbird fledglings. This evening I was following a spread-wing damselfly through the woods and I heard a bobwhite! We haven't had any in several years so I was really thrilled to hear it. I thought about trying to track it down but the mosquitos were eating me up alive! And the buck was stomping and snorting at me since I was standing in his bed :^)

I've been busy with the GBBC and seeing birds I've never seen before (not in my yard). I visited the local marsh which is in a nature preserve and I saw that at least in the eyes of the water birds spring is coming. A Mallard drake was busy preening himself when a female Mallard swam by him at very close quarters. I swear she winked at him. I also saw a pair of Hooded Mergansers (new to me) that looked as if they were dressed up for a Mardi Gras parade. The photo wasn't exposed correctly as I was frantically trying to catch them before they swam out of sight. I hope these photos load OK - I'm having computer issues with dial-up internet access. My accelerator which used to increase the speed from pitiful to mediocre is defunct, so I'm back to pitiful and I can't really preview photos. I'm holding out for Verizon high speed which is supposed to be available soon, but they don't seem able to find my street. I just noticed that the copper birdbath is completely thawed out! A very good sign. Claire

Hi, Kids, These are my feeders. As you will see, they are kinda close to the house. That's both good and bad...the birds are easy to see and the feeders are easy to fill but it also limits the type of birds I get. ie: no Ring Tails in my yard ;( These are the two tube feeders that are just off the deck. One Thistle and one Safflower. The squirrels don't bother them. The dome baffles are mostly for protection from the weather. I have a seed try for the Safflower tube but I can not attatch it until the tube is empty. This shows the edge of the deck, the suet feeder on the pine tree, the two tube feeders and the heated bird bath. You can also see the older 'bird condo' in the back. This one shows the tube feeder that is hung from the tree that is just outside the den and kitchen windows. It is for black oil sunflower seeds. This is the one that the squirrels have not yet gotten to. I see them on the tree, reaching...but they can't get to it. I see them on the pole above the feeder but, they are unsure of the larger dome baffle. It's been up since Nov. 18th but I have not seen a single squirrel eating from the feeder. Lot's of squirrels on the ground below, but that is as close as they have gotten...so far. Same feeder taken to show how close it is from the house/deck. Same feeder, looking up from the ground. It's about 15 feet up...another reason the squirrels are unsure ? Last one. This is my view of the same feeder from my desk. This is to show you how close it is to the house...about 12 - 15 feet. Also, Claire, you can see some of the plants that hang/sit in front of the window...from the birds hitting the window question. OK...one more. This is my view from inside the house, through the slider screen. My desk and chair are about 4 feet from the slider. From my chair I can look from the tree feeder to the suet and pole feeders...like watching a tennis match. Sorry about the ugly grill. I hope these come through and I hope they are not too big. Let me know. sooey

I left Mom propped up on the ground in the branches near the feeder. My hope is that the baby/babies will find her and the Male or one of the other Females. The babies sound so fore lorn in the first place, It may be silly of me but I want the babies to see Mom is there but she just can't help them any more. These birds don't seem to be territorial so maybe one of the other Females with babies will let this/these babies tag along. They know where the feeders are and were just beginning to feed themselves, hadn't quite gotten the "hang" of hanging on the feeder yet. They know where the suit falls on the ground. They will not starve. I hope they have learned the survival lessons and that they are going to be cared for by the rest of the group during migration. I am beside myself with grief knowing how hard this bird struggled for it's life and that I could have prevented it. Tomorrow I will give her to the Turkey Vultures to feed their young.