March 5, 2014 Paris, Henry County Even as the ice is melting, we're still inundated with birds, but now they seem less desperate and more settled. For the first time in the last few days I have seen birds taking the time to preen and bathe. We have not seen the young Indigo Bunting today. I hope he is okay, as he did not look very well, although he was better yesterday than he had been Monday. (And despite some confusion due to unrelated paragraphs in a previous post, we did not ever think it was a Savannah Sparrow.) I have included another photo of the Indigo Bunting just because it is such an early bird. Or did it over-winter? I noticed another Indigo Bunting reported on eBird, in Shelby County. A mixed flock of blackbirds continues in our yard, constantly lifting in startlement and returning moments later. It's almost comical to watch all the blackbirds fly up, leaving behind most of the smaller birds still in place and looking around as if thinking, "What? Why'd ya'll fly?" We have several continuing American Tree Sparrows, which we have found to be almost fearless. They will approach within a few feet when I am filling feeders. I wonder if they will disappear when the ice melts? After getting 9 sparrow species on Monday, we have had two days with 8 species. A Field Sparrow which was here Monday has not returned. This morning my husband stood by one feeding station for a few minutes with some seed in his hand and had a female Purple Finch and an American Goldfinch partake. -Shawna Ellis Paris, Henry County
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