True to form, the North Carolina winter is keeping us on our toes. We’ve gone from 50s-70s the last couple of months to bitter cold, ice, and snow in the last few weeks.
The birds apparently love us best, since we’re keeping our feeder full. We added a suet cake and it’s taken the birds several days to give it a shot, but now it’s bringing quite a few new species to our balcony!
I counted 13 species today during the snow, including 2 species that I only saw on the ground below the feeders (American Crows and Eastern Towhees). Here’s a rundown with pics (not the best quality…sorry)!
House Finch (male) — These guys are regulars around here all year. They’re not nearly as annoying as the House Sparrows we had in Massachusetts. The males are a lovely shade of pink, and they sing their little hearts out.
Carolina Chickadee — Another resident species, and Peter’s favorite bird. 🙂
Tufted Titmouse — Arguably the best bird name ever. We see these guys all the time! They’re the first ones to yell at us through the window when the feeder is empty.
Carolina Wren — Another tiny resident with a lovely song. We’ve seen them sneak into our screened-in porch to snap up bugs.
White-Breasted Nuthatch (male) — Another bug-hunter! They have a distinctive call.
Northern Mockingbird — This is probably my favorite bird…there’s nothing like waking up on a warm Southern spring morning with a mockingbird singing outside your window.
Dark-Eyed Junco (male) — We don’t see these guys terribly often, but they appear occasionally year-round.
Downy Woodpecker (female) — This shy species is another that we see every once in a while, usually from a distance.
Red-Bellied Woodpecker (male) — These noisy guys seem to love dried fruit more than suet or meal worms! We have two visiting our feeder recently, both males; one is noticeably larger than the other (smaller one pictured).
Pine Warbler (male) — This is a new species for me this winter! It’s so exciting! I thought at first he was a Goldfinch until I really paid attention. (We have had Goldfinches recently too, but none today.)
Yellow-Rumped Warbler (female) — My second new species this winter! This little lovely puzzled me at first. Her most prominent feature when I was observing her was the bright yellow area at the base of her tail, on her back. Turns out it’s her namesake!
