I originally did the page, "Birds of Winter", to be a lone page while I awaited spring, but it seemed like such a good idea that I am doing a page for the birds of each season. So I give to you the Birds of Spring. I am still trying to put the birds that seem to appear in the season that I am doing, but some are year round visitors.

The Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) isn't seen at the house unless you happen to have alot of berries that these birds love. We don't, but one year a huge flock did stop by and at least check things out. They do live year round in the area, but move around for food. My daughter has seen alot of them at her school, UNCA, since they have bushes and trees with berries. And waxwings will stay in an area until they have exhausted the food and then they leave. Because of this, their movements are hard to track. Cedar Waxwings feed their young small fruits, so they tend to nest late in the summer when there is a good supply of berries. They also eat insects, chasing and catching them like a flycatcher. They are a very social and distinctive bird (5 1/2 to 7 inches), who have been known to pass berries from bird to bird while sitting in a long row of birds until one eats the berry. I would like to see this, wondering whether it is a game or some kind of ceremony for them.

I find Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata) are the best imitator of other bird sounds. When I hear what I think is a hawk, and go to check that one isn't stalking my feeders, I will usually find a Blue Jay. The Blue Jay is around 11 inches long, and is rather noisy. Except, during breeding when they are quiet and inconspicuous. (I've never seen them quiet!) It is an easy to recognize bird due to their distinctive color and patterns. They eat acorns and other nuts, but come to feeders for the sunflower seeds and cracked corn (a favorite with them around here). They usually feed on the ground beneath my feeder since they are too large to perch on it. They, like crows, will actively pursue owls and hawks. I'm not sure why owls and hawks put up with it, since they are much larger. I guess a crowd of noisy Blue Jays is better just avoided than confronted. This type of Jay is found in the eastern USA and up into Canada. There are other kinds of Jays in other parts of the USA, but I have never seen them.

I absolutely love the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), and I feel that spring has truly arrived when I spot the first one of the season. At 3 1/2 inches in length, they are a very small bird. For what they lack in size they make up for in aggressively defending the feeder! They are fearless and curious. They have flown up to my sliding glass door and looked in at me. They fly up to the plant window and try to find a way into the flowers there. Hummingbirds are difficult to photograph, as they won't let you get too close. I have set up a camera with a zoom lens on a tripod and prepared to wait, to only have them fly right up to the camera to check it out. Naturally they are too close to photograph. They eat flower nectar, insects, and spiders. The female builds the nest and raises the young alone. Most amazing facts about the Ruby-throated hummingbirds are that the male weighs about the same as 2 1/2 paperclips, and all of them migrate 600 miles across the Gulf Of Mexico!

The American Robin (Turdus migratorius) is found here year round, but I think I notice them more when spring approaches since they are regarded as a sign of spring. They are about 10 inches in length. They are easy to spot as they hop around on lawns, meadows, and grassy areas looking for worms, but they also eat insects, fruit, and berries. They are known for their singing, and they sing most just before the young hatch. Guess they are happy and looking forward to the babies! After the breeding season, Robins flock together and go to large communal roosts at night. I can't say that I have ever seen them roosting in large groups, but I have seen quite a few together during the day hopping around looking for food.

The Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is a year round bird in this area. I do not usually see them at my feeders, but have seen quite a few in open areas like parks and gardens. It is about 10 inches in length. An agressive bird, the Northern Mockingbird, will form territories of about 1 to 2 acres, twice a year, and defend it against any potential predator including cats, snakes, and people! They feed on the ground and in foliage looking for insects, spiders, snails, lizards, small snakes, fruits, and berries. It's song will mimic other birds, and they will sing at night. They are somewhat easy to identify in flight with their bold white patches on their wings. The Northern Mockingbird does have a secretive cousin, the Bahama Mockingbird (Mimus gundlachii), that is found only in the very southern end of Florida to the Keys (in this country). I haven't ever seen one of these birds.

The Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) is a small bird at just 6 inches in length. I have pictured the "slate-colored" variaty that I have seen here at the house. There are 6 different color variations in this country, with the slate-colored one being found here year round. All have a pale bill, but the body colors vary greatly. They feed mostly on seeds on the ground and come in great numbers to feed below the feeder in winter. I see them throughout the year, but since flocks return to the same areas each winter, I am seeing the same birds every year. They have flocks of fixed members and have a hierarchy, where aggression at feeders is their expression of dominance. They nest in coniferous woods and have 3 to 6 eggs. Though they nest in the woods, they build the nests on the ground near tall vegatation.

The list below is my bird count for 2004. (See Birds of Winter" for more information.)