Garden Birds in May

The Rose-breasted Grosbeak first seen the week before stuck around for several days, coming several times to the feeders and to take a bath in the pond.

Mammals were active with a baby rabbit appearing (nibble those dandelions young rabbit, earn your keep) and a skunk wombled through one evening, moving just fast enough amongst low foliage to avoid being satisfactorily photographed in the low light.

There has been quite a lot of Eastern Phoebe activity, most often taking insects over the pond and often sallying to do so from the stone bench or (see photograph) from ‘Arold’s beak as well as various low branches and twigs. He/they always depart in the same direction so we are speculating there could be a nest in the roof of the neighbour’s cabana.

The male House Finch has been appearing at the feeders most days recently.

And … the header pool for the waterfall has being doing its migration season duty and attracting passing warblers, some of which we have managed to photograph. Nashville, Yellow, Blackburnian, Magnolia, Yellow-rumped and Black and White Warblers have all shown themselves so far. Song Sparrows are resident and so, it seems, are Chipping Sparrows. A small number of Hummingbids are around, both species of Kinglets put in appearances … plus all the usual birds too.

Oh, and flowers. The blossom on the sour cherry and the Amelanchier canadensis is well worth visiting to admire while drifts of blue forget-me-not are setting off the margins all over the place.