Today, March 20th, is officially the first day of Spring.  Depending on where you live you may feel differently.  Here it does seem like spring – trees are blooming and the pollen is here, my hostas, azeleas, and hydrangeas are all turning green.  And the birds are very busy – it is nesting season and they all want the perfect home to raise their babies.  This morning I thought I would share with you pictures I took yesterday of the birds in my yard and later this afternoon I’ll post a stamping-related project.  I just realized I planned the perfect title for my class today – Celebrate Spring – and today is the first day of spring!

Remember the Robin I showed a few days ago – they are still building the nest – here is a picture of one of them sitting on the roof just above the nest with a mouthful of nesting material – now I’m just trying to figure out how to keep them from flying into my windows everytime they leave the nest – I don’t want them to break their neck before they raise their babies.

I also had a pair of Red-Bellied Woodpecker’s busy in the yard.  I don’t know where they have a nest – according to my book they dig a hole in a dead tree to lay their eggs.  They have been busy climbing up and down the trees searching for bugs.

I also had some Blue Jays around – they are not my favorite since they are big, loud and bossy.  They tend to chase everyone else away from the feeders.  But yesterday I got a really great picture of one getting a peanut from the peanut feeder.

I think I also mentioned the other day that I had Bluebirds (it is an Eastern Blubird) building a nest in the bluebird house in our yard and that the chickadees (Carolina Chick-a-dee) wanted to build a nest in the same house.  I have been watching them for the past few days and they still have not determined who is going to have the house.  It appears that both pairs are each building a nest in the house and removing the other birds nest too.  They prefer different nesting materials.  A Chickadee is a small nest of moss and plant down lined with animal fur – and that is at the bottom of the box.  The bluebird is a nest made of grass and pine needles – and that is on top of the moss.  And the amount of pine straw keeps changing.  Yesterday I saw the chickadees taking the straw out and the bluebirds bringing it back in.  I think I better go buy another house and maybe they can just be next door neighbors.

Chickadee removing pinestraw

male bluebird

There is another bluebird house in the yard that one of them could have but apparently they don’t like it.  Currently there is a pair of Tufted Timice looking at the other house.  I got a good picture of one of them sitting on the birdfeeder.

My book says they nest in tree cavity or sometimes in a small bird house.  They haven’t actually started building a nest in the house yet they just seem to be looking at it and have been for awhile.

So those are the updates on my birds.  I had some other varieties out there that I didn’t get pictures of and I need to fill all my feeders today too – they are empty.  Probably a trip to the bird store is in order to get more seed and maybe another blue bird house.

It’s time to get everything cleaned up for my class today.  Have a nice day!

Monika

monikastamp@bellsouth.net

www.monika.stampinup.net