Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

The spring birds are back in full force, and my favorite little Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds arrived last weekend to enjoy the feeders I’d set up for them a week earlier. Having followed their migration online this year, I was ready, unlike last year when I was surprised to find them staring in the windows and hovering around the deck in mid-April, impatiently waiting for me to get my act together.

While some of the birds of winter stay here all year round, such as the American Goldfinches, White-Throated and Tree sparrows, Carolina Chickadees and Northern Cardinals, others show up just for the warmer months. I’ve enjoyed welcoming back the Brown Thrashers, Eastern Phoebes, Eastern Towhees and American Redstarts as they rejoined the abundant bird population here.

American Goldfinch (processed with Topaz)

I was thankful to recently discover that Costco carries a 40-pound bag of nice quality bird seed and purchased two over the weekend. The voracious Brown-Headed Cowbirds have been eating me out of house and home. Although they aren’t my favorite birds due to their “child-rearing” practices (they lay their eggs in other birds’ nests), I still enjoy watching them, and they have an endearing courtship display and song.

Now, I just have wait until the sun returns to get some more photos, but in the meantime here are a few favorites I caught in between rain showers.

The Lord of his Domain