Nature Show

My backyard is a nature show everyday. Feeding the birds is a way to treat myself to great entertainment daily, while sitting at your kitchen table drinking your morning coffee. How much more fun it is to watch all kinds of birds, gray squirrels, red squirrels and chipmunks then the depressing morning news. Talk about a way to start your day happy, upbeat and full of positive thoughts. This morning we had our usual twenty something group of young turkeys that we have been hosting for a couple of weeks. They know there will be cracked corn available and have added our home to their daily fores for food. Most days they show up around 8am. Perfect timing for me on work days, I can watch them for a few minutes before I leave for my stressful commute. Yesterday Hubby and I had been discussing with son number two about the lack of Toms in our flock of Turkeys and all of a sudden from across the street four full grown very large, handsome Toms came in and started strutting their stuff for all the girls. The big boys control the prime feeding spot where most of the cracked corn is, everyone else leaves a wide birth for them. Their breeding colors of red and blue on their heads are already becoming darker and more intense. One of the most amazing things I've seen turkeys do it take off in flight! They are huge birds and can easily fly to get away from potential harm in a moments notice. Turkey Facts from Sibley's field guide: Males are up to 46 inches in height and weigh up to 17 pounds(My son the hunter has had them up to 25 pounds, guess its all the corn!) Females: 37 inches and 9 pounds. They are found in flocks of up to 60 birds in open woods with fields and clearings. Usually in Oak or Beech woods. They are omnivores eating nuts, seeds, insects and salamanders.

In the last two days, the flock of Pine Siskins and Goldfinch have grown in numbers to around one hundred birds. This being the Great American Backyard bird count weekend, I'm enjoying watching them all day as I keep track of all the numbers and species of birds that I have visiting the feeders. I expect the Siskins to be leaving any day now, and we might not have another irruptive year for a decade or more, this is my first year in all my life that I've had such huge numbers of them. Thy started arriving in our area way back in October. I saw my first large flock up in Cascade Lake Park on October 13th, shortly afterwords birders from all over the North East were reporting the same thing. Numbers of Red Wing Blackbirds are increasing as I sit here and type. There was also a welcome surprise of a fox sparrow yesterday. The turkeys are gone and there are at least a dozen Gray Squirrels her emptying the feeders at an alarming rate. Yesterday a Chipmunk awoke from his Winter Slumber to eat for a bit. For me...Spring has sprung.

Later...trip out to Oil City road at dusk for Short Eared Owls....got 4 and saw a bunch of my birding friends from the Hawk Watch, nice way to end the weekend.