Birds in my backyard this week ((April10-16)

[Leslie]

I really hope the backyard sub-forum is a go, because I'd really like to know what other people are seeing in their backyards.
Here's what I saw in mine this week (I didn't record numbers for all of them so I'm not providing any):
pigeon
flicker
blue jay (heard only)
crow (ditto)
black-capped chickadee
brown creeper (Saturday only)
brown thrasher
robin
hermit thrush
golden-crowned kinglet (female, Saturday only)
starling
house sparrow
cowbird
cardinal
house finch
goldfinch (? I think I heard them, not so good at identifying their song)
junco
Most of the birds I see are just passing through.  I think the hairy & downy woodpeckers, the red-breasted nuthatch, the mourning dove, the red-winged blackbird have already departed.  And the creepers (2) & kinglet sure didn't hang around.
Last year the flicker and the blue jay both raised a brood in the yard behind mine (it was the second year for the flickers), but the big old willow went down last summer & both have found new homes, nearby I think and hope.  So I was pleased to see a female flicker foraging for ants on my patio this morning.
The robin & cardinal will be raising families, as, alas, will the starlings and house sparrows.  We've had an oriole breed in the back for years--I hope it comes back.  There's considerable chirping and peeping, most of which I can't identify.  The mockingbird overwinters but I've not seen it in the spring/summer/fall.  The juncos are chasing each other about, like a couple of kids let out of school.  I'm trying to keep my eye on them 'cause I'd kind of like to know when they leave for better pastures.
The brown thrasher was a special treat since it goes on the life list--in my own backyard too.
I'd really like to know what other people are seeing in their backyards.

[JW Mills]

Here's what I have seen in my yard in the last week,
 
Song sparrow
House sparrows
Robins
Cardinals
Blue jay
Grackles
Red-wing blackbirds
Mockingbird
Starlings
Mourning doves
Chickadees
Downy woodpeckers
Hairy woodpeckers
 
Not actually in my yard but seen out the back window,
 
Pigeons
Gulls
Mallards
Canada Geese
Red-tailed hawks

[Brian Bailey]

My backyard has been active this week, but still not many new migrants.  I had my first Brown Thrasher yesterday and a couple of Fox Sparrows this morning.

I have a patch of lawn that I seed every year.  Normally I expect most of the seed to be consumed by sparrows, but it has been very quiet this year.  I might actually get grass!

BB

[Brian Bailey]

New backyard arrivals this morning (so far) are Hermit Thrush and White-throated Sparrow.

BB

[Chris Street]

Hey everyone,  

Sticking with the theme I have had a ton of activity the past week or so.  Last weekend especially.  Species Ive seen include:

Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, American Tree Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Mourning Dove(nesting in one of my spruces), Brown-headed Cowbird, Common Grackle, Red-winged Blackbird, Carolina Wren, Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Canada Goose, Mallard, House Sparrow, House Finch and American Goldfinch, European Starling, Northern Flicker, Downy and Hairy Woodpecker  and last saturday i had quite the migration of hawks over my place too Osprey, Broad-winged Hawk, Coopers, Sharp-shinned and Red-tailed Hawks as well as a random pair of Northern Shovelers flying over too.  Its always fun just watching outside the window or sitting in the backyard with binoculars.

Good Birding
Chris

[jayzie1]

My goodness, you are all very lucky to have such a variety of species visiting your backyards. I live downtown with a postage stamp sized backyard and don't get nearly as many species.  Daily visitors include: house sparrows, house finches, red-winged blackbirds, common grackles, mourning doves and of course, pigeons! We had some american goldfinches, a pair of cardinals and cowbirds a few days ago, but they haven't returned.  Also saw a mockingbird a few houses down in their mulberry bush.

[Cody]

Here is what I had this week:


Cowbirds-30
Robins-29
Am.Goldfinch-3
Grackles-203
Mourning Doves-122
Black-Capped Chickadees-3
House Sparrows-(Too many!) 246     --Last week I had 504 :roll:
Blue Jays-10
European Starling-11
American Crow-3
Northern Cardinals-14
Red Winged Blackbirds-11
Song Sparrow-2
House Finch-6
Northern Flicker-1
Hairy Woodpecker-1
Eastern Phoebe-1  (Heard calling in tree near backyard)

Total:696


This had been the best week in my backyard so far this week, with 17 species.

[cathief]

I work all day during the week so only have the weekends to observe but I saw the following:

American Goldfinch
Robins
Common Grackles
European Starlings
Northern Cardinals
Purple Finch (I think) on the Nyger Seed feeder
another unidentified bird on the Nyger Seed feeder (I could only see the back but he was slate gray on the back with a white underbelly and bold horizontal stripes at the end of his wings, small - the same size as the Goldfinch)
Juncos
Red-winged Blackbirds
Mourning Doves
Chipping Sparrows

[jnieuwenhuis17]

Your Purple finch could very well of been a House finch as well. House finches don't have the same amount of colour as the Purples do.

[Leslie Kinrys]

Since the beginning of the month, I've seen the following in my yard:

Northern Cardinal
Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Black-capped Chickadee
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Purple Finch, a very handsome male
1 Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
1 White-throated Sparrow
American Robin
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Mourning Dove
1 adult Cooper's Hawk, this bird checks out my yard regularly

[Dr. John]

Our downtown Toronto backyard has featured the following over the last week:

House finches
American goldfinches
Northern cardinal pair
Redwinged blackbirds
Common grackles
Dark-eyed juncos
Mourning doves
American robins
Blue jays

Plus starlings, house sparrows, and pigeons.

-John

[angieinto]

Our list is the same as your's John, except we also have a pair of downy woodpeckers and hairy woodpeckers. They stay with us all year, only disappearing for a couple weeks each year.