Birds of Paradise

As always, when spring arrives and begins its tentative slide into summer, my life partner and I share the excitement and wonder of welcoming our feathered friends back for another season of companionship. And as hoped, each year brings something new.

Today we sighted a new bird that we had never seen before. Full of childish delight, I ran to get my laptop and the two bird books we have, hoping that we would find the little darling we had seen. What to type into Google? OK, think about what he looked like. Yellow throated, masked, and maybe a wren? No my hubby says; try warbler. Dang if our first try didn't find the little bird. The Common Yellow-throated Warbler. And guess what the call of this bird is, and a very distinguishing call the book says.

Well, there ya go, a new one for the album. It appears as if he might like aphids as he climbed all through our honeysuckle, pecking into each leaf cluster.

We have some of our favourites back this year as well. The Baltimore oriole is a  bit timid this year but has felt at home enough to devour oranges from the new feeder we bought for them.

And how can I forget the red breasted grosbeak that came for the first time a month ago. Now there is one beautiful and noble bird. We have not seem much of him this past two weeks but I am hoping he and his partner are busy sitting on a nest somewhere and will be back once the little ones are bigger.

And for a bit of humour, we have been visited by a particular bird for the past three years; actually, they are in abundance until about mid May. The colouring on their heads gives them an appearance of wearing a bike helmet. We have jokingly called them "Helmet Heads" and just recently found out that they are White Crested Sparrows. Well, they have flown somewhere to spend the summer and we can only hope they come back for a short time in the fall before heading home for the winter.

Such fun we have watching these guys and waiting patiently for them to drop by and visit. Of course we have the ole faithfuls that always arrive each year; robins, yellow finches, hummingbirds, blue jays, cardinals, sparrows, and the annoying but comical grackles. Never a dull morning or evening around here!!

Your Syster,

Blessed Be