Getting Ready For Fall Birdwatching

I Have Juvenile Blue Jays and Northern Cardinals Visiting at the Feeder

Welcome back. It’s been a while since I’ve written a post about birds. The last article I shared regarding birds was back in March. During the summer, I am so busy gardening, vacationing, enjoying the pool, and doing other things. I don’t feed birds during the summer except for the hummingbirds. The hummingbirds have left for the year (they were having a feeding frenzy last week), so my focus will return to fall/winter feeder birds. Next year my goal is to photograph hummingbirds; I have never tried. I’m sure it will be both challenging and rewarding.

Over the last few weeks, I have been putting out a little bird seed on the platform feeder just to see what I get. There have been quite a few Blue Jays in the yard lately, snacking on the duck food each evening. The platform feeder allows me to get a closer look at the birds. Lo and behold, I discovered a new group of juvenile Blue Jays and one juvenile Northern Cardinal thus far. It’s always a joy to know that birds are nesting in the yard. We always have swallows, house sparrows, robins, house finches, and wrens nesting. These nests I am usually able to locate in birdhouses or shrubs/trees. However, I have never located Blue Jay or Northern Cardinal nests, which I assume are high in the towering pine trees surrounding our yard.

Juvenile birds can be easily recognized since their feathers are not fully developed, so they look like they are having a bad hair day.

Our yard is ideal for birds. We live in a rural area surrounded by farm fields. We have an acre and a quarter yard with a pond and many features conducive to attracting birds, such as the pond, pine trees, berry bushes, and brush piles. I will once again participate in Project FeederWatch (November 2022 to April 2023) and the Great Backyard Bird Count (February 2023).

If you haven’t tried birdwatching, I would encourage you to do so. It is a great hobby for so many reasons. The following article will give you more information:

Right now, I only have the platform feeder up. It’s the only feeder I leave up year-round. Actually, the Nyger seed feeder is up, but I haven’t filled it in a while. As we get into fall towards winter, probably in early November, I will put up the other feeders, which include a tube feeder, chalet feeder, and several suet cages.

Stay tuned for more articles regarding birdwatching. It’s almost time to put up the bird feeders for the fall and winter and stock up on birdseed and suet cakes!