Photo T. Hache
Juvenile Evening Grosbeak

Still seeing lots of baby birds around and likely for a little while longer yet.  Last evening, I was very excited to find the season's first juvenile Evening Grosbeak in my backyard.  I dearly love to see these birds and really look forward to it every summer .... they are just so darned cute!  They look almost fuzzy, their eyes are almost black and look way to big for their heads.  So cute!  A male Evening Grosbeak showed up last night with a loud chirp, alerting me that he had a youngster with him.  Sure enough, as I watched he grabbed one of the few seeds left for the evening on the platform feeder and immediately flew up into the trees in our backyard with it.  I caught the movement and spotted the baby immediately.  So far, this is the only Evening Grosbeak young I've seen but I'm hoping for more.

Other young birds seen in the yard include Tree Swallows, Song Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, Grackles, Starlings, Savannah Sparrows and Crows.  It's been a good season, by the looks of things.  Thankfully, the baby Crow is finally growing up and learning how to be a little quieter.  I'm sure he drove almost everyone on the street insane with his super loud begging calls the past month!

Other than watching the young birds at this time of year, it's pretty quiet.  I don't have regular feeders out so activity in the backyard is low.  I'm still seeing Purple Finches, Goldfinches, White Throated Sparrows, Song Sparrows and Pine Siskins everyday at the platform feeder.  Sometimes,  a Chickadee, a Robin  and a few Savannah Sparrows will come around.  That's about it right now aside from a few families of Starlings that pass through once in a while.  Hummingbird activity seems very low in most places this season.  Not sure what the reason for that would be.  Of course, at this time of the season, they will likely be hitting flowers more than they will be hitting feeders.  They too have young to feed so they will also be going after tiny bugs and spiders for protein.

Haven't seen the Sandhill Crane pair at the airport for over a week now.  There's a good possibility (hopefully!) that they have at least one youngster by now, and possibly two .... time will tell.  If you see them out with young, please let me know!  Has anyone been seeing the pair of Sandhills on the Golf Course at all this summer?  If so, please let me know.  There are a few Killdeer at the airport.  They too may have young with them now.  There's been so much people activity at the airport this summer that bird activity seems lower than usual.

Happy Sightings!
tammie@theecho.ca      826-4561

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