Brown thrasher (Toxostoma rufum)
After many years, the brown thrasher in 2014 was a new addition to the list of birds seen in our yard. And what a handsome bird it is! I love his speckled breast, his piercing eyes, and the reddish-brown color.
- Learn more:
- Cornell’s All About Birds: Brown thrasher
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Cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)
A beautiful bird. They always look more like a painting than a real bird. Their coloring seems just too perfect. They’re generally here in at least a small flock, which announces itself with an unusual twittering sound. They love berries of all kinds.
- Learn more:
- Cornell’s All About Birds: Cedar waxwing
- American Bird Conservancy: Bird of the Week
| YR | Arr | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
| 24 | 5/31 | · | · | 8 | 6 | 1 | · | · | · | · | |||
| 23 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | |||||
| 22 | 6/8 | · | · | · | 1 | 2 | 2 | · | 5 | · | |||
| 21 | 6/30 | · | · | · | · | · | 1 | · | · | · | 1 | · | |
| 20 | 6/24 | · | · | · | 1 | · | · | · | 1 | 1 | · | ||
| 19 | 6/11 | · | · | · | 2 | · | · | 1 | 1 | · | |||
| 18 | 4/25 | · | 2 | · | 3 | 3 | 5 | · | · | · | |||
| 17 | 6/7 | · | · | · | 2 | 1 | · | 1 | · | 4 | · | ||
| 16 | 6/15 | · | · | · | 2 | 1 | · | · | · | · | |||
| 15 | 5/27 | · | · | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | · | · | · | |||
| 14 | 4/23 | · | 25 | · | 3 | 2 | 3 | · | · | · | |||
| 13 | 5/8 | · | · | 9 | 4 | 2 | 6 | · | 1 | · | |||
| 12 | 6/7 | · | · | 2 | 3 | 2 | · | · | · | 4 | |||
| 11 | 3/17 | 3 | · | 4 | 12 | 3 | 2 | · | · | · | · | · | |
| 10 | · | · | · | · | · | · | 2 | · | · | · | 2 | 1 | |
| 09 | 4/8 | · | · | · | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | · | · | · |
| 08 | 4/9 | · | · | · | 2 | · | 1 | · | 1 | · | · | · | · |
| 07 | 4/11 | · | · | · | 11 | · | · | 1 | 3 | 1 | · | 8 | · |
| 06 | 4/30 | · | 5 | · | 9 | · | 2 | 3 | 3 | · | 3 | 10 | · |
| 05 | · | 26 | · | · | · | 2 | 2 | 1 | · | · | · | · | |
| 04 | · | · | · | 9 | · | 2 | 4 | 4 | · | · | · | · | |
| 03 | · | · | · | 12 | 12 | 7 | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| 02 | · | · | · | · | 12 | 1 | · | · | · | · | · | · | |
| 01 | · | · | · | · | · | · |
European starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
A real plague. Every starling in the yard represents many, many native birds that would be here otherwise. They not only take a lot of food — both natural and from our bird feeders — but they also take over nesting places.
NOTE: Neither starlings nor house sparrows are legally protected as are native birds.
As Hilton Pond says: If we humans had it to do over again, we probably wouldn’t have released that initial flock of 60 European Starlings in New York’s Central Park in 1890. … Introducing birds to a different continent just because they’re mentioned in Shakespeare’s writings probably wasn’t ever a good idea. Those initial small flocks of starlings now number more than 200 million individuals that range in marauding, murmurating flocks from Alaska to Mexico and the Caribbean.
- Learn more:
- Cornell’s All About Birds: European starling
| YR | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
| 24 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |||
| 23 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 1 | · | ||||
| 22 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | · | · | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 21 | 17 | 12 | 20 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | · | · | 2 | · | |
| 20 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 19 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 1 | · | 10 | 3 | 5 | |||
| 18 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 1 | · | · | 1 | · | |||
| 17 | 2 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | · | · | · | · | ||
| 16 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 4 | · | · | · | 1 | |||
| 15 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | · | · | · | |||
| 14 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 10 | · | |||
| 13 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 15 | · | 5 | 20 | |||
| 12 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | · | |||
| 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | · | 2 | · | 1 | · | |
| 10 | 3 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | · | · | · | · | · | 1 | 30 |
| 09 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 9 | · | · | · | · | · | 3 |
| 08 | · | 10 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 5 | · | · | · | · | 150 | 1 |
| 07 | 8 | 20 | 9 | 100 | 1 | 3 | · | · | · | · | 1 | · |
| 06 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | · | 2 | 8 | 90 |
| 05 | · | 11 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 4 | · | · | · | · | 2 |
| 04 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 15 | · | · | · | · | 30 |
| 03 | 15 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 80 | 1 | · | · | 1 | 60 |
| 02 | 50 | 50 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 15 | 25 | 5 | · | · | · | 80 |
| 01 | 4 | 7 | 17 | · | · | · |