Spotted Towhee

The spotted towhee is typically a ground feeder and will
come to your backyard with the right kind of food. Learn
how to attract the spotted towhee to your yard.

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White-Breasted Nuthatch

Scientific Name: Sitta carolinensis.
Family: Nuthatch.
Length: 5-3/4 inches.
Wingspan: 11 inches.

Distinctive Markings: Males and females look similar,
with a short tail, bluish-gray back and wings, black cap
and white breast.
Nest: Hair, fur and shredded bark built in natural cavities
and birdhouses. Lays five to 10 white eggs with multicolored
markings. 
Song: Nasal "yank-yank-yank" call.
Habitat: Area with plentiful trees.
Diet: Insects and larvae; pine, fir and maple seeds;
mountain ash and juniper berries; oak, beech and
hickory nuts.
Backyard Favorites: Sunflower seeds, unsalted
peanuts, birdseed mix and suet.

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Photo: Roland Jordahl

• Scientific Name: Dryocopus pileatus.
• Family: Woodpecker.
• Length: 16-1/2 inches.
• Wingspan: 29 inches.
• Distinctive Markings: Full red crest, black wings and
   tail, and a white stripe on its long neck. Males and
   females look alike, except the male has full red c
   rest that extends to the top of his bill, and a red
   "mustache." The female has a red crest on the back
   of her head and a black mustache.
• Nest: Pairs excavate a new nesting cavitity each year
  in genereally the same area. It's located in a tree 15 to 70
  feet high, typically faces south and has a round entrance hole.
  The pair spends about a month creating the cavitiy, which is up
  to 24 inches deept. Using no nesting material, the female lays
  3 to 5 white eggs, which both parents incubate for 18 days.
  They raise one brood per year.
• Song: Contact call is a deep loud "wek" or "kuk" sound.
  Territorial call is a higher-pitched cackle, "flick-a, flick-a, flick-a."
  
• Habitat: Mature conifer and deciduous forests and large tracts
  of mixed woodlands.
• Diet: Mostly carpenter ants, as well as beetles, insect larvae,
  wild berries and acorns.
• Backyard Favorites: Suet in feeders, located at least 10 feet
  above the ground on the trunk of a mature tree in wooded habitat.

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White-Breasted Nuthatch

Photo: Roland Jordahl

 Scientific Name: Sitta carolinensis.

 Family: Nuthatch.
 Length: 5-3/4 inches.
 Wingspan: 11 inches.
 Distinctive Markings: Males and females look similar,
with a short tail, bluish-gray back and wings, black cap
and white breast.
 Nest: Hair, fur and shredded bark built in natural
cavities and birdhouses. Lays five to 10 white eggs
with multicolored markings.
 Song: Nasal "yank-yank-yank" call.
 Habitat: Area with plentiful trees.
 Diet: Insects and larvae; pine, fir and maple seeds;
 mountain ash and juniper berries; oak, beech and
  hickory nuts.
Backyard Favorites: Sunflower seeds, unsalted
peanuts, birdseed mix and suet.

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Hairy Woodpecker

 Scientific Name: Picoides villosus.
 Family: Woodpecker.
 Length: 9-1/4 inches.
 Wingspan: 15 inches.
 Distinctive Markings: Almost identical to downy but
 noticeable  larger; distingushed by a longer heavier bill,
 and an inconspicuous tuft. Females lack red on back of
 head.
Nest: Cavity excavated by both sexes; usually lays four
 white eggs.
Song: A strong "peek" or "peech", sharper than the downy.
Habitat: Lives mostly in forests, but may move to open
 country in fall and winter.
Diet: Insects, larvae of wood borers, fruit and nuts.
Backyard Favorites: Comes to feeding stations for suet,
 sunflower seeds, meat scraps and peanut butter.

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Photo: Roland Jordahl

Scientific Name: Otus asio and Otus kennicottii.
Family: Owl.
Length: 8-1/2 inches.
Wingspan: 20 inches.
Distinctive Markings: Gray, red or brown with heavy
streaks below and darker bars on back; has small tufts
that look like ears.
Nest: In a natural cavitiy or large birdhouse, the female
lays four to five white eggs, which she incubates for 26
days before they hatch. Both parents feed the young for
the four weeks they're in the nest and for some time thereafter.
Song: Not a screech, but a tremulous cry or whinny.
Habitat: Villages, small woodlots, and old orchards.
Diet: Insects, small mammals, birds, fish, spiders and reptiles.
Owls swallow their prey whole and later regurgitate indigestible
parts as so-called owl pellets.
 Backyard Favorites: A large birdhouse in which to
 roost and nest. Wood duck houses work well (10 inches
square and 24 inches tall with an elipitical 4-by 3-inch
entrance near the top.) May also use birdbaths at night.

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Photo: Roland Jordahl

Black-Capped Chickadee

 As one of the friendliest backyard birds in North America,
many have convinced this flier to eat from their hand.

• Scientific Name: Poecile atricapilla
  
• Family: Titmouse
  
• Length: 5-1/4 inches
  
• Wingspan: 8 inches
  
• Distinctive Markings: Black cap and chin, white
  cheeks and gray back
  
• Nest: Six to eight white eggs with brown spots.
  Uses birdhouses and natural cavities to protect its
  nest of plant fibers, wool, hair and moss
  Song: "Chick-a-dee-dee-dee" is its call, which many
  will recognize. Its song is a "phoe-bee" tune
  
• Habitat: Wooded suburbs and open woodlands
  
• Diet: Insects, berries and seeds
  
• Backyard Favorites: Sunflower seeds, suet
  and thistle.

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Robin

Gold Finch

Green Finch

These were found in the archives, posted by :

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I found these in the archives so I moved them over here!

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Photo: Roland Jordahl

• Scientific Name: Turdus migratorius
• Family: Thrush.
• Length: 10 inches.
• Wingspan: 17 inches.
• Distinctive Markings: Male has orange breast, black
  head and tail, yellow bill, white around eyes and on
  throat. Females are duller.
• Nest: Three to four pastel-blue eggs in a neat deep
  cup made of mud and grass.
• Song: Loud liquid song, "cheerily, cheer-up, cheerio."
• Habitat: Yards, fields, farms and woods.
• Diet: Earthworms. Also eats insects, berries and
  some seeds.
• Backyard Favorites: Fresh fruit, raisins, hulled
  sunflower seeds and peanut butter.

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That is a very pretty bird. Thanks Conni.

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Baltimore Oriole

Photo: Roland Jordahl

• Scientific Name: Icterus galbuba.
• Family: Blackbird.
• Length: 8-3/4 inches.
• Wingspan: 11-1/2 inches.
• Distinctive Markings: Male has full black hood and
  fire-orange plumage. Female is drab yellow with
  dusky-brown wings.
• Nest: Woven bag-like structure.
• Song: Short series of clear whistles in varied pattern.
• Habitat: Deciduous woodlands, parks and suburbs.
  
• Diet: Mostly insects and berries.
• Backyard Favorites: Comes to feeding stations for
  sugar water, halved oranges nailed to posts and grape jelly.

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Thanks Conni for posting birds of the month. It is full of wonderful information.

We have many doves by us here in NY. When you see one the other is close by. I never see one alone. They are beautiful birds.

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Photo: Roland Jordahl

• Scientific Name: Zenaida macroura.
• Family: Pigeon.
• Length: 12 inches.
• Wingspan: 18 inches.
• Distinctive Markings: A brown, pigeon-like bird that is larger than an
  American robin, but smaller and  slimmer than
  a pigeon. It has a long pointed tail with white
   with white edges conspicuous in flight. Male and
  female look alike.
• Nest: Commonly found in an evergreen, 10 to 25
  feet above ground on a hotizontal branch. Builds a
  loose, bulky platform of sticks in which it lays two
  pure-white eggs. Pairs raise two to five broods each
  year.
• Song: A coo that consists of five to seven notes:
  "coo-ah, cooo, cooo, coo."
• Habitat: Open woods, evergreen plantations,
  orchards, farmlands, roadside trees and suburban
  backyards and gardens.
• Diet: About 98 percent seeds and plant materials.
• Backyard Favorites: Tray feeder filled with wild
  bird seed mix or cracked corn. They will visit
  birdbaths to drink and bathe.

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Photo: Roland Jordahl

The downy is the smallest and most widespread North American woodpecker, found throughout the continent, from Alaska to Florida. It can live in various diverse habitats and comes willingly to feeders.

Scientific Name: Picoides pubescens.
Family: Woodpecker.
Length: 6-3/4 inches.
Wingspan: 12 inches.
Distinctive Markings: Red patch on the back of the male's head, short bill with downy feathers at the base.
Nest: Excavates or reuses a cavity in a dead tree or uses a
woodpecker nesting box. Lays four to five white eggs.
Song: Short and flat "pik" call.
Habitat: Any open wooded area, including parks and backyards.
Diet: Insects, caterpillars, berries and nuts.
Backyard Favorites: Suet and peanut butter.

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Marion, you are very Welcome. I am so glad you like this thread. Ohh, you are right in the path of our winged feathered friends. Do you have any pics you would like to share with us? I would love to see some if you do. Feel free to post them.

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Thanks Conni! That is a beautiful bird. To think that its feathers are yellow at certain time of the year is amazing too.

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Photo: Roland Jordahl

With brilliant red plumage and shiny black wings and tail, the scarlet tanager is a striking species. This flier will be making its way south this autumn during migration. Don’t expect to see it’s bright-red breeding plumage, though. From September to March, its feathers are a rich yellow color instead.

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For the birds

It's easy to attract birds to your garden if you provide them with enough food, water and shelter to survive. Here are four simple steps to help you draw a flock of feathered friends to your yard.

Step 1: Go native
Native plants tempt a greater variety of birds to your garden than non-native species. They're a nutritious food source, part of a bird's natural diet and offer a varied menu of seeds, fruit, nuts, berries and nectar. The flowers and foliage of native plants also attract local insects that birds can dine on. Since different birds have different food preferences, do some research and find out what types of birds are local in your area.

If you want to attract birds to your garden in California, for example, plant asters, sagebrush and honeysuckles. Red chokeberry and cardinal flowers appeal to birds in New York, while flowering dogwoods and purple coneflowers are alluring in Texas. To find out which plants will grow best in your zone, visit "My gardening zone" on homedepotgardenclub.com.

Step 2: Set up a variety of feeders
Migratory birds need more food in the fall so they can grow their flight feathers and store energy for the long journey ahead, while birds that stay year-round need to stock up for the cooler season in most regions. Install different types of feeders in your garden to entice a variety of birds. Hopper feeders look like mini houses and are designed to store a lot of seed. They dispense seeds as needed and tend to attract larger birds. Tube feeders contain many feeding areas where several birds can perch and eat at the same time. Check out our wide selection of bird feeders in-store.

If you want to discourage squirrels from stealing your birdseed, squirrel baffles are probably your best bet. These smooth cylindrical devices are either hung above or mounted on the pole of your feeder and make it tough for a squirrel to climb or jump up. Caged feeders allow small birds to access the feed and keep squirrels and larger birds out. Safflower seeds can also be used as a deterrent since squirrels aren't fond of their bitter taste.

Step 3: Provide plenty of water
Birds are drawn to the sound of running water and depend on it for bathing and drinking. Clean your birdbaths and fountains once a month and make sure they have a regular supply of fresh water. Adding a pump will improve circulation, deter insects, prevent stagnation and limit the spread of disease between birds.

Step 4: Give them shelter
If you want birds to stay in your garden, provide them with lots of nesting material like string, straw, pet fur and bits of cloth. Dead trees and nesting boxes are also appealing to birds when they're looking for places to lay eggs and raise their young. Trees, shrubs and brush piles give birds a secluded place to roost at night, while birdhouses keep them protected from predators and the elements.

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Great pic Valorie!Thanks for sharing it with us. Conni,Thanks for the info on the finch.

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Photo: Roland Jordahl

You’ve probably seen this red and brown-striped bird at your feeder or around your yard. The house finch frequents cities and suburbs.

Scientific Name: Carpodacus mexicanus.
Family: Finch.
Length: 6 inches.
Wingspan: 9-1/2 inches.
Distinctive Markings: Males have reddish foreheads,
breasts and rumps. Females and juveniles are streaked
grayish brown. All have brown-streaked bellies.
Nest: Low in shrubs, door wreaths or hanging flowerpots;
lays four to five spotted bluish-white eggs.
Song: A varied warble, often ending in a long "veeerrr."
Habitat: Any wooded area or backyard.
Diet: Seeds of berries and weeds.

Backyard Favorites: Niger, sunflower, mixed birdseed,
peanuts, fruit, suet and sugar water.

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Beautiful thread!  This was taken while Stormy and I strolled through the park.

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Cedar Waxwing

Bombycilla cedrorum

Found in open or bushy woodlands or along the margins of agricultural and residental areas. This sleek,crested brown bird is between the size of a sparrow and a robin. The broad yellow band at the tip of the tail is conspicious and its voice is a high,thin lisp or zeee. It is the only sleek brown bird with a long crest.

Breeding from Canada to north Georgia and west to Kansas. It's nests can be fairly common in suburban areas and it winters in irregular patterns throughout the United States.

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Cardinal(Richmondena cardinals)

Color along would make cardinals favored birds.Their striking plumage is easily seen and long remembered. Though mild mannered,they will sometimes chase each other from a feeding station in early winter,but by late winter and spring they eat side by side.

Preferring vines, shrubbery and thickets, they will live comfortably in city parks and yards. Since cardinals do not migrate,they will remain in one yard the year round as long as food is available. Often nesting in bushes beside busy sidewalks ot near enough homes that their every move can be watched.They often have several broods a year.

Their usual song is a clear and ringing whistle.While no two birds seen identical in sound,their songs are distinctive and once learned will always bring pleasure.

These fine birds are now found in most states and range north as far as southern Canada.

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Catbird-(Dumetella carolinensis)

Length about 9";the salty gray plumage and black cap and tail are distinctive. Breeds throughout the Untied States west to New Mexico, Utah, Oregon and Washington and in some Southern Canada. Winters from the Gulf States to the Panama.

In some localities the catbird is fairly common. Tangled growths are its favorite nesting places and retreats,and ornamental shrubbery around houses will attract  them. The bird has a fine song,frequently broken by mewing like a cat. Its habits are somewhat similar to those of its cousin, the mockingbird, with song almost varied. But it is more secretive and usually sings while hidden in the bushes.It feeds on fruit and insects,and can be lured to shelves and windows by rasins, cherries or chopped apples.

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Canada Goose(Branta canadensis)

The most familiar and most common of the wild geese is best known in urban areas as a visitor in spring and fall.Sizes vary, but the head and neck markings make this goose easily identifiable.The Canadas breed on the lake shores and costal marshes,primarily in Canada,and migrate in organized untis utilizing the well known V-formation, although sometimes flying in long strings of birds.Flying by day and night,Canadas have set down in flocks on city squares,apparently mistaking a pool of light for  a water surface. They seldom live in cities or towns,although visiting urban parks on occassions. Their honking cries in migration have stirred the blood of many an urbanite on a fall night when traffic noises let the wild cry from the skies leak through.

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Brown Thrasher

Toxostoma rufum

About 11". Breeds from the Gulf to southern Canada and west to Colorado,Wyoming and Montana;winters in the southern half of the eastern United States.The Brown Thrasher is more retiring than either the mockingbird or catbird,but like them is a splendid singer.Not frequently,its song is taken for that of its more famed cousin,the mockingbird.It is partial to thickets and gets much of its food from the ground.Its search for this usually accompanied by much scratching and scattering of leaves;hence its comon name.Its call note is a sharp sound like the smacking of lips,useful for identifying this long tailed,thicket jaunting bird,which does not relish close scrutiny.The brown thrasher is not so found of wild fruit as the catbird and mocker,but devours a much larger percentage of animal food.

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Brown Creeper

Certhia familiaris

Length 5".Breds from Alaska and Canada south to the Great Lakes States and Connecticut;also in the mountains south of Nicaragua;winters over most of the range.

Rarely is the creeper ever seen at rest.It appears to spend its life in an incessant scramble over trunks and branches of trees,gleaning its insect food.It is so protectively colored as to be practically invisible to its enemies and though delicately buuilt possesses strong feet and claws.Its tiny eyes are sharp enough to detect insects so small that most other species pass them by.The creeper fills a unique place in the ranks of our insect destroyers:minute insects,their eggs and larvae,moths,caterpillars,small wasps,scales and plant lice are items of its diet.

It does not appear in flocks.Single birds or pairs will feed infrequently on beef suet at bird stations,but it's seldom a regular visitor.

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Bobwhite

Colinus virginianus

This quail,about 10" long, is known by the clear call that suggests its name. It is native in the United States east of the Rockies and has been introduced many places in the west.

The Bobwhite, and its call, is loved by every countryside visitor.It is one of the most popular game birds and appreciated as a gourmet's delight.Quail have moved to our suburbs,although its numbers have diminshed in many States through loss of habitat.About half the food of Bobwhites consists of weed seeds,a tenth of wild fruits and a fourth of grain. Most of the grain it consumes is picked up from stubble. Fifteen percent of the Bobwhite's food is composed of insects,including several of the most serious pests, but its greatest value is aesthetic.

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Blue Jay(Cyanocitta cristata)

You either admire or hate this arrogant,foot long hustler,easily identified by its brillant colors.the blue jay is resident in the eastern United States and southern Canada,west into the Dakotas,Colorado and Texas.

Like most insolent creatures,this jay has a dual nature.Cautious and silent in the vicinty of its nest,it is bold and noisy away from it.Sly in the commision of mischief,it is ever ready to scream "thief" at anything poaching on its domain.As usual in such cases,its epithet is applicable to none other than itself,as  neighboring nest holders know to their sorrow;for during the breeding season the jay lays heavy toll upon the eggs and young of other birds.But with all its sins of pride,backyards are enlivened by the presence of them.

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Blue bird(Sialla sp.)

About 6" long,bluebirds breed in the United States,southern Canada,Mexico and Guatemala,wintering in the southern half of the Eastern United States and south to Guatemala.

The bluebird was once a familiar tenant of towns,hailed as the herald of a new vernal season and decidedly domestic in its habits.About the time that starlings became very numerous,it declined in numbers.No one is sure why its numbers fell but competition for nest sites by starlings and house sparrows is certainly responsible.Recently it has begun to reappear in many places.

Its favorite nesting sites are natural cavities in old trees,boxes made for its use or crannies in buildings.Nesting boxes may be restoring the species,whose occupants pay rent by destroying insects.The blusbirds diet consists of 68% insects and 32% vegetable matter.The commonest items of insect food are greasshoppers first and beetles next,while caterpillars stand third.Small flocks sometime invade yards for the red fruits of flowering dogwood trees.

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Chickadee(Parus sp.)

Length about 5".Resident in most of North America.Because of its delightful motes,its flitting ways and its fearlessness,the chickadee is one of our best known birds.It responds to human encouragement and by hanging a constant supply of suet this black capped visitor can be made a regular feeder in gardens and city parks.Though small in size,these cousins are highly useful against insects,gleaned mostly from the twigs and branches of trees.The chickadee's food is made up of insects and seeds,largely seeds of pines,with a few of the poison ivy,some weeds and sunflowers.

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Barn Swallow(Hirundo rustica)

Length about 7";distinguished among our swallows by deeply forked tail.While they breed throughout the Untied States,they winter to South America.

This is one of the most familiar farm birds and a great insect destroyer,seeking prey from daylight to dark on tireless wings.Its favorite nesting site was barn rafters,upon which it stuck mud baskets to hold eggs.But modern barns are fewer and so tightly constructed that swallows can not gain entrance .So they go to boat docks,and commercial buildings,summer homes and the out buildings of rural suberbs to keep the species going.Like other rural birds,they have to adjust to changing land-use patterns.

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A male Baltimore oriole (above) and its mate tend their nest.

Baltimore Oriole(Icterus galbula)

Look for this bird in groves and shade trees in residential areas of towns and suburbs.Smaller than a robin,the males fiery orange and black is easy to spot.

The song is a rich series of whistled notes.Wintering to South America,the oriole's summer breeding range stretches from Nova Scotia to North Texas.The nests are usually seen only after the leaves have fallen and the birds have gone.

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