Birds of a Feather

Spring would not be spring without bird songs.

… Francis M. Chapman

Snowfall yesterday, sun today. And our bird count has increased. Two pair of Steller’s Jays spent the morning flying from the crab apple to the tangled branches of bare hawthorn trees and back again, their dark crest and iridescent blue feathers bright in the sunlight. They are the provincial bird of British Columbia. And we spotted a Red-breasted Sapsucker after days of hearing it hammering alone in the birch forest. The Sapsucker belongs to the woodpecker family and in the photo you can see the tidy, parallel lines of ‘wells’ it has drilled in the bark of the tree. The wells fill with sap, which attracts insects – so they eat both the sweet sap and the insects. Hummingbirds often associate with Sapsuckers and sip sap at the wells too. But we have not seen the hummers yet. Other birds hopping and singing around the cabin today are: Mountain Chickadee, Varied Thrush, Dark-eyed Junco, and of course the proverbial symbol of spring, Robins. The Dark-eyed Juncos are in competition with two red squirrels over the seed, nuts, and fruit we’ve placed on the stump outside our front door. But sooner or later everybody gets a share. We have yet to name our newest squirrel. Any ideas?

No Name needs a name. Any suggestions?

No Name hears a truck on the road.

... P. L. Morningstar