Bird Crazy

Migration is hard on birds, but like the symbols used by hobos during the great depression, birds know, by my elaborate feeding station, that they can find a friend @ 6211.

As of Easter 2008, it's been about a year that I have been feeding in the backyard. I started while I was not employed (not to be confused with unemployed), as a little experiment in Inside the Beltway living. Is there any wildlife six miles from the Capitol?

I have seen from my kitchen window about 34 species of birds. I know there are many more that I am not spotting because I have trouble telling some of the little brown sparrow types apart.

Some highlights: And these are no fish tales.
Bald Eagle. I live a house back from a lake that has three Eagles on it. One day there was a big bird in my tree. He was BIG.

Red Shouldered Hawk: hanging out by the feeder, waiting. I always know his success rate by the flurry of feathers he leaves behind. Natural selection's a bitch.

Pileated woodpecker and two babies. The grownup was the size of a crow. The babies, learning how to eat suet. A real treat.

A pair of mallards. Not rare or exceptional, but they chose my lawn for their family. I felt lucky.

This Spring will bring new friends to my feeder and I am looking forward to seeing who stops by on the way to wherever.

Now, if I lived ON the lake I'd really have good luck.

And like I said in the title of this blog: Interesting to No One.