Birds came Back- April 28, 2014

So happy that the Tree Swallows have returned! They arrived on April 28, a full 5 days sooner than last year! Did not expect that, since we are having such a late spring. We looked out that morning and there they were, about a dozen swallows swooping around feeding on those pesky mosquitoes of which we have a mega amount; (due to all the standing water on the tree side of the berm at the lake shore nearby.)

Tree Swallow surveying the yard

We have the nest camera all set up again so we can watch them building their nest, laying their eggs and once hatched, feeding their young! :)

So pleasing to hear the bird song out in the yard again.  I love sitting out on the balcony in the morning, drinking up the sunshine, along with my morning cup of coffee and listening to the joyful sound of the birds.

Swallow checking out the bird house near the pond

The robins have been here for a number of weeks already and it's interesting to sit on the deck and watch the nest building going on in the yard below. The bird 'real estate' around here is quite popular and is showing so much activity right now. :)

Swallows love to sit on top of trees or poles to get a good vantage point. This one is sitting on the stake next to our little apple tree.

The House Wrens and the Gold Finches took a couple of weeks longer to show up again. We started seeing and hearing them a few days ago (about the 24th of May.)

American Gold Finches- Bright yellow and black male with yellow and mottled brown female.

2 Gold Finches sitting in bare saskatoon branches

A pair of Tree Swallows has claimed the nest outside the back door as usual. I wish I could tell if it's the same pair each year or maybe their off spring, as that particular birdhouse is always the first one chosen.  It seems that a pair of swallows will zero in on it as soon as they arrive.

Favourite bird house

That's also the birdhouse where we set up the nest camera so that works in our favour. It's fun to be able to watch that whole nesting process on our own living room TV.  She has been gathering dried grass and feathers for over a week now and diligently creating a soft masterpiece. Male and female Tree Swallows look identical unlike most birds, so I can rarely tell which one it is which.

Photo of Swallows nest via nest cam May 24/14

Not sure why swallows love white feathers but they are quite prized by them. I pulled a few white duck feathers from my pillow last week and let them float onto the grass in the back. She spotted them right away!


The birds are especially at risk right now as they land on the ground looking for their nest material. We try and keeps the cats indoors in the early part of the day to prevent any predation.  If I see any of the cats stalking around the bird houses, I go out and bring them inside or chase them away.   Simba, our very friendly 2 year old orange male cat was quite surprised the first time he saw me running towards him with the broom after I spotted him jumping in the air at the swooping birds. :)

Robin looking for breakfast.

We have a number of robins on our property this year and I love to wake up to their cheery song in the morning. A female robin (obviously inexperienced) has built a nest on a lower branch in one of the spruce trees next to our driveway near the road. She laid 4 beautiful blue eggs in it, but it is right at eye level when we walk or drive by.  I fear that a predator will notice the nest, especially once the babies have hatched and I fear for their survival. I am tempted to get a ladder and move that nest up to a higher branch, but I'm afraid that mother robin might abandon the nest altogether then.

4 beautiful robin eggs in the nest at the end of the driveway.

House Sparrow has claimed 1 of the 2 the birdhouses on our telephone pole. 

May 28 am: Our nest cam showed the first Tree Swallow egg was laid in the nest. Saw them mating yesterday so we were expecting something soon.

We also have been receiving regular visits at out feeders from some red winged blackbirds. The female sometimes accompanies him. She is a very dull looking brown compared to the male but her profile is exactly the same. 

During the winter we had a number of interesting winged visitors at our feeders:

Pileated Woodpecker

 Northern Flicker on the suet block on left, House Sparrows, Black-capped Chickadees and a Downey Woodpecker on tree branches.

Nuthatch climbing head first down the tree trunk

Flocks of Bohemian Waxwings were here for weeks on end in the winter as usual. Did not manage to get a photo of them, though. They always seemed to know that I was trying to photograph them and they would swiftly leave the treetops enmass and flock elsewhere.