Summer is nests and fledglings, flowers and pollinators, greens and golds and more. Young birds come to the feeders, squawk … and sometimes get ignored by their parents! Hummingbirds defend the feeders and the bee balm; some hawk moths get mistaken for hummingbirds. The forest canopy is thick and provides deep cover for the warblers and more. It’s a rich and beautiful time. Who needs a feeder, with so much to eat in the forest?
No one, really, but some come anyway:
- American Goldfinch
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Mourning Dove
- Downy Woodpecker
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird
- Purple Finch
- Common Grackle
- Northern Cardinal
- Blue Jay
- Chipping Sparrow
- Common Yellowthroat (observed at pond; observed foraging for insects in bee balm just outside the viewing window)
- Broadwinged Hawk (at pond)
- Eastern Phoebe (at pond)
- Black-capped Chickadee (flock in maples at front entrance)
- Dark-eyed Junco (in azaleas)
- Tufted Titmouse
- Red-breasted Nuthatch
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak (juvenile)
- Great Blue Heron (flying over parking lot)
- Catbird (juvenile complaining for a while, then getting quiet, then fetching and eating its own thimbleberry–observed it over then on Gale’s Bridge)
- Duck spp (young ducks in pond, possibly mallards)
- Eastern Wood Pewee
Other species noticed near and around the feeders included Monarch Butterfly, Bumblebee spp., Great Spangled Fritillary, Clearwing Sphinx Moth, Eastern Chipmunk, Gray Squirrel, Red Squirrel.
(Bold items in this list are those species not recorded in July 2019.)
It’s been a wonderful summer and looks to be a fabulous fall. Drop in, September and October, between 10 and 4 to check out the viewing window, explore the exhibits, and discover this year’s art show, Pollinate This! For more special events, try a bird walk, a kids program, or other activities listed on our events page.
Volunteers, we have opportunities for you!
If you follow us on Facebook, Twitter , tumblr, and/or Instagram, you’ll find us talking about bird news, sharing photos, suggesting events, and more. Check us out!
The “Through the Window” series is an informal record of observations made by staff, volunteers, and visitors. Anyone at the Museum may add to this list. Observations are usually through our viewing window: a large window with a film covering that helps hide watchers from the birds. We have chairs and binoculars to try, a white board, and many identification guides. Outdoors, several feeders are attached on a single, 8′ steel pole. A small pond, flowers and water plants, shrubs and trees add cover and (seasonally) other food choices . You can sometimes see what we see via our webcam.
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