FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] In only 2 weeks!

[canyon.eagle@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Greeting VAbirders!

Being out of town the last 2 weeks in April, I knew I'd miss seeing our 
first hummer (with one exception, always male) of the season.  Our FOD for 
Ruby-throats is always between 4/22-4/30.  I tried to convince myself that 
missing the big arrival wouldn't bother me, especially since I'd be seeing 
plenty of hums on the road to keep me happy, though most of them would be 
Black-chinneds.  My convincing wasn't good enough, for since I've been home 
it's been driving me nuts not knowing for certain whether we'd had any hums 
through here or not.  So, yesterday's (5/3) arrival of our first female hum 
cheered me up right quick!  She has staked out the side garden feeders as 
if she knows the drill.  Welcome back little lady!  It always amazes me how 
such a tiny bird can "fill" the yard.  Talk about presence.  :-)

Before I left in mid-April, our number of Goldfinches, down to about 10 
since late fall, still hadn't picked up, something they usually do in 
April.  Some years, April brings flocks of 300+!  The morning after I 
arrived home I heard lots of Goldfinch song in the woods, so put out a few 
more feeders.  Immediately, more birds filled the feeder ports.  I added 
all the feeders I've got, now up to 7, and almost all are being emptied 
daily.  It's not 300+, but there are 100-150 right now.

Other birds seen this week, including 2 new yardbirds!:

House Wren - the noisy little bully is back!
Catbird
Indigo Bunting - a female who fed alongside the Goldfinches all day!
E. Towhee
Black-throated Green Warbler
Red-eyed Vireo - 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler - about 18
Great-crested Flycatcher!
Yellow Warbler
Nashville Warbler - new yardbird!
Summer Tanager - new yardbird!

We're still seeing White-throated Sparrow daily.  No White-crowned Sparrows 
that some of you lucky folks are getting as yardbirds...don't I wish!

Big surprise, a Junco was here on May 1!  That's the latest we've ever had 
them in the yard.  They usually clear out by the third week of April.

Massaging my "warbler neck,"

;-)

Lori Markoff
Vienna
Fairfax County
canyon.eagle@xxxxxxxxxxx


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