#BRINGBIRDSBACK FEATURED SPECIES: RED-HEADED WOODPECKER

Red-headed Woodpecker

Red-headed Woodpeckers are strikingly beautiful birds. They are in trouble. But we can help them in our yards. Their numbers have declined 1% per yr, 54% total, since the mid-1960s. They have made it to the Yellow Watch List “for species that require constant monitoring and long-term assessment to prevent further declines.” What are the […]

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COOPER’S HAWKS FAST BECOMING CITY BIRDS

Close Up Of Immature Cooper's Hawks Hunting From Tree Perch

An immature – yellow eyes & brown streaking – Cooper’s Hawk in our urban, deep inside-the-perimeter of Atlanta yard. This is increasingly common urban occurrence. Cooper’s Hawks are overall short to medium distance migrants. But there is growing evidence that during dispersal if a young adult emigrates to an urban setting they tend to stay […]

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HUMMERS DON’T LIVE BY NECTAR ALONE

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird Sipping Nectar From Tiger Lily

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird feeding on a tiger lily bloom: I say feeding because she could be sipping nectar or eating insects attracted to the nectar. Hummers rely much more insects than it appears because we are spoiled by the sight of them on flowers. 60+%, depending on time of year, of their diet can be […]

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PATIENCE PAYS OFF

Barred Owl Taking Off With Wings Stretched Straight Up

In many of my posts I make a big deal out of being an active birder\photographer. Some would say too big a deal. There are times though that I try to wait for the shot. This is the case in this series of one of our neighborhood Barred Owl pair. She and her mate (I […]

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SALUTE TO SERVICEBERRIES

Cedar Waxwing Eating Serviceberry Against Blue Sky

Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.) trees are ‘super-natives’, in my opinion. They are native, hardy, have beautiful early spring white blossoms followed by colorful fruit loved by wildlife, especially birds, and eatable by humans, and glow in rich fall colors. They even have an interesting backstory. Serviceberry (or Sarvisberry if you prefer Old English) is but one common […]

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Happy Our-Little-Piece-Of-Earth Earth Day

Today’s (April 22, 2021) media will be full, and rightfully so, of proclamations calling for an urgent global response to the climate crisis. As you might suspect, one of my interests in these proclamations of goals and possible solutions is their impact on the impact of climate change on bird populations. Globally and my yard, […]

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