Hello VAbirders,
Our 10' tall Elderberry bushes are laden with huge gobs of ripe
Elderberries and the birds are flocking to them, berryivores ;-) and
insectivores alike.
The Mimidae family is well represented with Catbird, Brown Thasher (3!),
and Mockingbird. We're really tickled with the Mockingbird family that is
visiting, because we've never seen more than an occasional Mocker in our
garden. The 2 Mocker youngsters are even noisier than the Blue Jay
youngsters and a hoot to have around.
Some of the other birds enjoying the Elderberry bushes, are Robin, Carolina
Wren, Cardinal, Hummers!, and an occasional Darling (Starlings, ick).
If you want a super bird shrub, plant Elderberry. An added bonus is its
beauty. It's a fine looking shrub with nice foliage and large heads of
pretty white, delicate flowers.
BTW, my son Gabriel has been attending summer classes at the NVCC Annandale
campus. He's been keeping an eye on the pond and surrounding trees,
looking to see what birdlife he can find. He reports that the parents of
the Wood Duck family seem to have split off from their children. The
children remain close together for now. Yesterday he got a nice surprise
when he discovered a Green Heron. He intends to monitor the campus over
the next couple years and will pass along any interesting sightings.
Lori Markoff
Vienna
Fairfax County
canyon.eagle@xxxxxxxxxxx
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