Birdwatching update

Today, I saw a red-winged blackbird eating from our birdfeeder. That's the first one of those I've seen all spring, and it's also the first bird other than a sparrow that I've seen at the feeder.

So far this year, I've seen many different birds in my neighborhood. I've seen house sparrows, red-winged blackbirds, mourning doves, crows, robins, Canadian geese, cardinals, northern mockingbirds, starlings, and red-tailed hawks. Not too far from my house, I've seen blue jays, mallards, and wild turkeys.

When you stop and take the time to look around, you will find that there are many different types of birds in your area.

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... no, wait, it's a bird!

Over the past few years, we've seen plenty of birds in our yard. We have robins that like to make nests under our deck, and I've seen plenty of house sparrows, red-winged blackbirds, and other species that I am not so sure of.

A few weeks ago, my kids and I constructed a birdfeeder from a plastic juice jug and hung it in a cherry blossom tree in the front yard. We were hoping it would attract birds not only to the feeder, but to a birdhouse that we hung in the same tree. So far, the feeder has been dominated by the house sparrows, and we've been able to get some close-up looks at them (both male and female varieties) out of our living room, as the feeder is only a few feet away from a window. (A feeding sparrow can be seen in the picture at the upper left. This is the view as you look out the window, although the camera gets obscured/confused by the mesh screen.) So far, still no takers on the birdhouse.

As the temperatures finally start to warm up in Rochester, I'm starting to see some new species arrive. Until recently, all I've seen in my yard have been the robins and house sparrows. Lately, I've been seeing something in my neighborhood that looks similar to the house sparrow -- possibly a fox sparrow? This morning, I saw a pair of northern mockingbirds in my front yard, with one coming very close to a window so I could get a good look at it.

For help on identifying birds, I suggest trying whatbird.com or Scotts bird identifier. (Yes, that's the same company that makes all the grass seed and fertilizier.) It is important to make note of as many details as you can before you rush off to try to identify it. If you keep track of its size, coloring, beak shape, etc., your ability to identify it will greatly increase.