by Alex Forsythe A familiar harbinger of spring, the Red-winged Blackbird is a welcome sight, with the males arriving in large flocks to establish territories before the females arrive. Arthur Bent wrote about their arrival in the Smithsonian Institution’s bulletin in 1958: “A flock of about fifteen redwings, adult males…...
by Alex Forsythe This finch dressed like a sparrow can be seen in abundance one year, then rarely the next. The migration patterns are variable. During irruption years Pine Siskins travel further south and east in the winter in search of food. Normally seen in the northern states, some...
by Alex Forsythe The Hairy Woodpecker is often confused with the Downy Woodpecker. They are very similar in appearance, especially if they are not viewed together, but there are some differences. The first difference is the length of the beak. The Downy has a shorter beak, while the Hairy has a beak that...
by Alex Forsythe From the “bluebird of happiness”, to Judy Garland’s iconic voice singing “Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly”, the Eastern Bluebird has long served as an inspiration to song writers, poets, artists and philosophers. Their brilliant blue color, gentle disposition, happy song and beneficial nature have secured for them...
by Alex Forsythe The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest species of woodpecker in North America. It is also one of the most widespread of our woodpeckers and it is the one most often seen on backyard suet feeders. Unlike human couples who like to dine together, Downy Woodpeckers are not sociable eaters, particularly in winter. The males and females...
by Alex Forsythe “A very quiet and well-conducted little member of our winter choir, with habits similar to those of the nuthatch, is the junco, with dark head and back, white breast, and grey sides. With an ivory-white bill, he feasts daintily at our winter offerings, occasionally remarking: ‘tsip,...
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