Happy Day, FOS (first of season) Rose-breasted Grosbeaks showed up today, two females!! I will be looking for the males tomorrow. The male has been described as wearing a tuxedo with a red tie (sometimes it looks like a red heart, the males' red patch varies enabling you to individually identify them), the female's white eyebrow helps identify her. Both male and female sing (their song sounds like a robin in a hurry) and both give a call note that sounds like a sneaker squeak on the gym floor! Listen for it ..read more

  “Hope” is the thing with feathers - That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all -.. Love this poem (by Emily Dickinson), it reminds me of bluebirds. They have just build a nest in the box in my yard ..read more

                                                    Purple Finch, male  Purple Finch, female  House Finch, male looks similar to Purple Finch, male  I'm excited that it's getting really finchy here in eastern MA! Finally, Purple Finches are coming through, had two males yesterday, a female the day before and a male and female today, plus Pine Siskin yesterday. The last photo is a male ..read more

"Severe" (fill in the blank; tornadoes, snow, wind, sleet, rain, flooding) seems to be the new norm as much of the eastern part of the country is under weather threats today and tomorrow. Stay safe, hunker down and fill feeders beforehand.   ..read more

                                      HAPPY EASTER COTTONTAIL!!                                               ENJOY YOUR EASTER ..read more

If you came to this blog post because you were expecting answers about why you are not seeing goldfinches in any year, here is the answer. Goldfinches are erratic about where they occur. They move around in winter depending on food sources. They may not appear in winter, spring, summer or fall in areas where they were previously. So at any time of year you may not be seeing them when you saw them before. In addition, Goldfinches breeding range includes most of the northern two thirds of the country and into Canada. In winter, they leave the northernmost part of that range and are found in ..read more

  Happy First Day of Spring! Early arrivals that have been spotted, Tree Swallows and Eastern Phoebe. These insect eaters will have to contend with the roller coaster weather in New England, warm, sunny, and windy today, then next week rain, cold, and even possibly a snow shower. They are a welcome sign that things are moving forward, bring on the other migrants ..read more

  Believe it or not, hummingbirds have already started arriving in the southern part of the U.S. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been spotted in Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas, so time to get the hummingbird feeders up in those areas. If you're in the northern parts of the country, it seems like a long time before hummingbirds will be enthralling you. These photos may help you dream about it. You can track their progress and see other people's spring hummer sightings at eBird.org ..read more

  Burrowing Owls are special little owls that live in underground burrows they dig or in a burrow they take over from a prairie dog, ground squirrel, or tortoise. They live in much of the West and in Florida in grasslands, deserts, bare lots, and other open habitats. They hunt insects and rodents. Unfortunately, their numbers are declining due to human destruction of their habitat and declining food sources. Enjoy them but don't disturb them ..read more

  Roseate Spoonbills Happy Valentine's Day! Hope your day is "Rosy" Lillian  ..read more