WANTED!
Have you seen this bird?
If so, let me know and I'll add it to the list.
Past arrival dates are listed in red below.
Phoebes have been sighted in the following towns:
Massachusetts:
Waiting for April...
2023 ARRIVALS
During the school year I am away from home on weekdays, so my bird sightings tend to be clumped on the weekends.
(2009-2022 sightings are listed below for comparison).
Jul 31 - Prairie Warblers are beginning to wander!!
Jul 01 - Louisiana Waterthrushes are finally back in my stream.
Jun 22 - Rose-breasted Grosbeaks finally make an appearance.
Jun 02 - First Scarlet Tanagers, Alder Flycatchers and Veeries.
Jun 01 - Green frogs and bullfrogs are finally singing.
May 30 - First Warbling Vireo of the season.
May 29 - Red-eyed Vireos are back.
May 27 - Green Heron finally spotted over the meadow.
May 20 - First chipmunk sighting
May 20 - A HUGE day! First observations of: Black-billed Cuckoo, Blue-winged Warbler,
Cedar Waxwing, Ovenbird, Swamp Sparrow and Yellow Warbler.
May 16 - The Blatimore Orioles have returned.
May 11 - Common Yellowthroats and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have arrived.
May 10 - First Wood Thrush and Gray Catbird of the season. The phoebe eggs have hatched.
Apr 24 - Pine Siskins are here.
Apr 23 - The House Wrens are back!
Apr 21 - For the first time in my life I saw a flock of Sandhill Cranes...right over my meadow!!!
Apr 18 - First Eastern Towhees and a rare sighting of an Evening Grosbeak
Apr 16 - First Field Sparrows and Northern Flickers of the year.
Apr 14 - American Toads are singing again.
Apr 09 - Common Mergansers and American Woodcocks have been sighted.
Apr 08 - Tree Swallows and Eastern Phoebes arrive on the first day...AGAIN!!
Apr 07 - Chipping sparrows on the deck and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers down in the woods.
Apr 06 - Turkey Vultures have arrived.
Apr 04 - Spring peepers are singing.
Mar 18 - Is that a Song Sparrow I see?
Mar 15 - Canada geese are back.
Feb 22 - The first female Red-winged Blackbirds have arrived.
Feb 11 - The Red-winged Blackbirds have returned en masse. Common Grackles are with them!
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2022 Arrivals
May 21 - I just heard my first black-billed cuckoo of the season!!
May 17 - First warbling vireo of the year.
May 17 - 25th Anniversary of Speaking of Nature :)
May 15 - First indigo bunting of the year.
May 14 - A big day!! Brown thrashers, common yellowthroats, wood thrushes and yellow warblers are here.
May 11 - Last sighting of a white-throated sparrow for 21-22.
May 8 - First sightings of Baltimore orioles, ruby-throated hummingbirds and white-crowned sparrows.
May 7 - Gray catbirds and rose-breasted grosbeaks are here.
May 1 - First green heron of the year.
Apr 30 - House wrens are here.
Apr 24 - Last Junco sighting of 21-22
Apr 19 - Nautre has played a joke and sent 5 inches of snow, but Field Sparrows and Eastern Towhees are here
Apr 16 - Chipping sparrows have arrived
Apr 09 - THE TREE SWALLOWS ARE HERE!! I also heard my first Yellow-bellied sapsucker!
Mar 23 - I just saw my first American Kestrel
Mar 20 - THE PHOEBES ARE HERE!! Quite early, I might add
Mar 19 - First Thunder of the year!!
Mar 12 - Song sparrows have arrived
Feb 22 - Common Grackles have arrived
Feb 04 - Red-winged blackbirds and Brown-headed cowbirds are here.
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The data for 2021 is unavailable at this time. 
But it can be reconstructed...sigh.
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2020 Arrivals
Jun 3 - My first observation of a yellow-billed cuckoo in my yard.
May 16 - Yellow warblers and great crested flycatchers are here!
May 14 - Bigggest day yet! New arrivals include: house wren, yellow-rumped warbler, ovenbird, blue-winged warbler, ruby-throated hummingbird, and blue-headed vireo.
May 09 - 34 degrees and 2 inches of fresh SNOW????
May 08 - A wood thrush is sining in the woods to the south of my house.
May 07 - Scarlet tanagers and indigo buntings are here!
May 06 - Baltimore orioles and white-crowned sparrows showed up.
May 03 - A major day for migrants: gray catbirds, common yellowthroats, green herons, barn swallows and rose-breasted grosbeaks all showed up today.
Apr 28 - Brown thrashers arrived during the night.
Apr 25 - My first ruby-crowned kinglet of the year.
Apr 21 - The chipping sparrows are back.
Apr 20 - Eastern towhees are here.
Apr 18 - First field sparrow of the year.
Apr 12 - Is that...? Could it be...? Yes! The yellow-bellied sapsuckers are back!!
Apr 09 - It's a terrible, rainy, windy day and a great blue heron just flew by.
Apr 08 - I just saw a flock of Fish Crows fly over. That may be a first for my yard...
Apr 04 - THE PHOEBES ARE BACK. I also saw the first Killdeer of the season fly over my yard.
Apr 01 - Saw my first cedar waxwings of the year.
Mar 26 - THE TREE SWALLOWS ARE HERE!!! Can the phoebes be far behind??
Mar 17 - Saw my first mallard of the season.
Mar 15 - Saw my first song sparrow of the season.
Mar 08 - Saw my first female red-winged blackbird of the season.
Mar 07 - The first Canada geese and turkey vultures have appeared in the sky over my yard
Feb 20 - Common grackles are here.
Feb 17 - Red-winged blackbirds are here.
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2019 Arrivals
Jul 16 - First scarlet tanager of the year.
Jun 08 - A Barn Swallow just flew by. They've been here a long time, but this is the first one I've seen in my yard.
May 27 - A pair of Belted Kingfishers just flew by!!!
May 26 - And there's a Green Heron
May 19 - A Black-billed Cuckoo is singing
May 18 - A male Bobolink is singing from the top of one of my trees and Yellow Warblers and Great-crested Flycatchers are also here.
May 16 - First Common Yellowthroat and Eastern Kingbird.
May 11 - A gorgeous male Baltimore Oriole is here. Wow!!!
May 08 - A Gray Catbird is singing from the hedge and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird is looking for his feeder.
May 04 - A White-crowned Sparrow is on the railing and a Wood Thrush is singing from the woods.
May 03 - There's actually a Pine Siskin at my feeders.
Apr 28 - A gorgeous Rose-breasted Grosbeak is at the feeder.
Apr 27 - A Killdeer just flew over.
Apr 22 - A Field Sparrow is here..
Apr 19 - A big day!! Brown Thrasher, House Wren and Northern Flicker all make an appearance.
Apr 11 - A Great Blue Heron just flew over the house.
Apr 08 - Is that a Chipping Sparrow I see?? I definitely hear an Eastern Towhee :)
Apr 07 - A fox sparrow is here, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is drumming in the woods and peepers are singing.
Apr 07 - The PHOEBES are back.
Apr 06 - Theres a Turkey Vulture soaring to the east.
Apr 05 - 2 inches of wet snow.
Mar 31 - The Tree Swallows are back!!
Mar 30 - I heard my first American Woodcock!!
Mar 29 - American Kestrels are here.
Mar 16 - Canada Geese, Common Grackles and Song Sparrows have arrived. Also, a Mallard flyover!!
Mar 02 - An immature Swamp Sparrow is here.
Feb 20 - There's a Common Redpoll at my feeder.
Feb 17 - Red-winged Blackbirds are back.
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2018 Arrivals
June 26 - A gorgeous day with low temps, low humidity and clear skies. Migration is now over, but there have bee a few species I haven't seen or heard yet. Yesterday I heard my first scarlet tanager, but I'm still waiting for other species to show themselves.
May 12 - High temp = 46. Low temp = 44. Rain all day. crummy day for birding.
May 6 - The biggest migrant day of the year so far!! Wood thrushes, green herons, gray catbirds, barn swallows, Baltimore orioles and indigo buntings all seen for the first time..
May 5 - Yellow warblers and tuby-throated hummingbirds have arrived .
Apr 29 - While certainly not the first sighting in the region, I saw an osprey fly over my yard this morning. I also heard a field sparrow today.
Apr 28 - I just heard, then saw, my first brown thrasher of the year. A little while later I heard and then tracked down a chipping sparrow.
Apr 26 - Even with the rainy weather the towhees have arrived.
Apr 24 - The house wrens are here.
Apr 21 - And now the killdeer have made an appearance.
Apr 19 - Just saw my first American kestrel of the year.
Apr 14 - Northern Flickers and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers have arrived.
Apr 3 - Great blue herons are here.
Mar 31 - Phoebes and tree swallows have arrived on the same day!! :)
Mar 19 - There is still a coating of 12 inches of snow on the ground!!!
Mar 2 - 15 inches of snow!!!
Feb 22 - Grackles have arrived.
It is important to note that there was a powerful string of nor'easters in February and March of 2018. This, compbined with cold snowy weather into April definitely delayed the arrival of some species. However, a brief break in the cold weather did retuld in the early, simultaneous appearance of phoebes and tree swallows on March 31.
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2017 ARRIVALS
May 20 - Common yellowthroats are down in the meadow once again.
May 19 - Great crested flycatchers sound loud, energetic and perturbed...as usual.
May 18 - I saw a hummingbird today!
May 12 - A great blue heron flew over the yard.
May 7 - Wood thrush and yellow warbler songs are heard today!!
May 6 - First white-crowned sparrow sighting. This is another bird that stays around for a week or so before heading to Canada.
May 5 - Bobolinks are here. They always show up for a week before moving on to the larger fields down the road.
Apr 29 - First rose-breasted grosbeak of the spring.
Apr 28 - Three new species today: Baltimore oriole, broad-winged hawk, and American kestrel.
Apr 24 - First woodcock of the year. This seemed a little late to me, but it isn't up to me..
Apr 20 - House Wrens singing in the morning.
Apr 19 - Towhees and Chipping Sparrows are here.
Apr 18 - Kingfishers and Brown Thrashers have arrived. The kingfisher was a big surprise!!
Apr 9 - A BIG DAY!! Tree Swallows, Phoebes, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Turkey Vultures all appear as the weather clears.
Mar 25 - Song sparrows are here.
Mar 5 - Early sighting of a pair of Killdeer!!
Mar 4 - Northern Shrike.
Feb 24 - First common grackles.
Feb 15 - First red-winged blackbirds and I actually heard a northern flicker. Whoa!
Feb 7 - First swamp sparrow!! This is not the first time I've had swampies here for the winter.
Jan 8 - First brown-headed cowbird.
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2016 ARRIVALS
It is important to note that 2016 saw the strongest El Nino event ever recorded. There was virtually no snow this winter and many birds (like red-winged blackbirds and American Robins never disappeared during the winter. I even had a male rose-breasted grosbeak in Jaunuary, but I think that particular bird never attempted the trip south and may have perished due to the cold that followed.
May 21 - My first real day of spring birding and it was a big one. Veery, Red-eyed vireo, Common Yellowthroat, and Gray Catbrids are here.
May 20 - Scarlet Tanagers and Yellow-bellied sapsuckers are here.
May 18 - Wood thrush singing in the southern woods.
May 14 - Great-crested Flycatcher singing so loud that I heard it inside. New birds seem to be arriving daily!!!
May 13 - Northern Oriole singing from the crabapple tree.
May 12 - White-crowned sparrows (3-4 of them) are still visiting my feeding station!!!!!!!
May 9 - Barn Swallows and Hummingbirds have returned!
May 8 - A rare and wonderful sighting of white-crowned sparrows!!
May 5 - Saw my first green heron of the season!!
May 1 - Chipping Sparrows arrived during the night.
April 30 - Yellow Warblers have arrived.
April 27 - House Wrens are here.
April 26 - Towhees are back.
April 16-22 = A week in Florida may have caused me to miss an arrival or two.
April 13 - Brown Thrashers are here!
April 9 - First Field Sparrow of the year (this seems really early! Thank you El Nino!!).
April 1 - Phoebes are here!!!
March 30 - Great blue Heron!!
March 26 - American Woodcock and American Kestrels have appeared.
March 11 - First sighting of a female red-winged blackbird.
March 9 - Tree Swallows, Spong Sparrows, and Canada Geese are back.
March 2 - Turkey Vultures are back.
February 27 - Common Grackles have appeared.
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2015 ARRIVALS
Monday, June 22 - Everyone who is going to show up is here. Conspicuous in their absence are field sparrows and indigo buntings...for now.
Friday, May 22 - Alder flycatchers are here.
Friday, May 15 - My last sighting of a junco for the 2014-15 season.
Sunrday, May 10 - Common yellowthroats, scarlet tanagers, ovenbirds, cuckoos, blue-winged warblers and great-crested flycatchers all arrived overnight!
Saturday, May 9 - Male rose-breasted grosbeak at my feeder!!!! I also heard my first red-eyed vireo of the summer!
Friday, May 8 - Wood thrush singing among the other voices in the dawn chorus!
Thursday, May 7 - Great blue heron flew over my yard. I also hear a Baltimore oriole down in the treeline.
Wednesday, May 6 - A BIG DAY!! - ruby-throated hummingbirds, gray catbirds, eastern kingbirds, and barn swallows are here. I also saw three green herons fly over my porch this evening. Also...last sighting of a white-throated sparrow for the 2014-15 season.
Sunday, May 3 - Yellow warblers have arrived.
Monday, April 27 - House wrens are here.
Thursday, April 23 - Killdeer are here! (I know they've been around, but I finally saw one)
Wednesday, April 22 - NOTE: juncos and white-throated sparrows are still here, but the tree sparrows left at about the same time that the chipping sparrows showed up. This seems to happen every year.
Saturday, April 18 - First chipping sparrows and first great blue heron over my yard.
Tuesday, April 14 - First brown thrashers and eastern towhees.
Monday, April 13 - First spring peepers.
Monday, April 6 - First song sparrow of the season! Saw a turkey vulture over my yard.
Sunday, April 5 - First American kestrel of the year!
Friday, April 3 - The tree swallows and Phoebes have arrived! (They arrived on 4/4 in 2014) Mallards are also flying around the neighborhood.
Wednesday, April 1 - Woodcock singing and displaying in the meadow.
Sunday, March 29 - Canada geese are back!
Saturday, March 21 - Northern flicker on the porch!
Sunday, March 15 - It has begun! Common grackles, red-winged blackbirds, and brown-headed cowbirds have all arrived this morning.
Thursday, March 12 - Turkey vultures are here!
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2014 Arrivals:
Saturday, May 31 - The only regular species missing from my yard at this point are scarlet tanagers and eastern kingbirds.
Tuesday, May 27 - First time I've heard a cedar waxwing this year. A common summer bird, but I never know when they will show up.
Friday, May 23 - First song of an alder flycatcher.
Wednesday, May 21 - First sighting (heard the songs) of a wood thrush, great-crested flycatcher, and prairie warbler.
Tuesday, May 20 - First sighting of a northern oriole.
Saturday, May 17 - First sighting of a common yellowthroat.
Thursday, May 15 - First sighting of a gray catbird.
Wednesday, May 14 - First green heron.
Sunday, May 11 - Fist ovenbird.
Saturday, May 10 - First yellow warbler and first hummingbird (a female).
Thursday, May 8 - First white-crowned sparrow and the last sighting of a junco.
Wednesday, May 7 - First bobolink seen in my backyard.
Saturday, May 3 - First rose-breasted grosbeak.
Thursday, May 1 - Last sighting of a white-throated sparrow.
Monday, April 21 - First day of my spring break and the house wrens have arrived!!
Saturday, April 19 - Swamp sparrows, palm warblers, yellow-rumped warblers, and ruby-crowned kinglets at the rail trail in South Amherst, MA.
Wednesday, April 16 - Chipping sparrow on my porch.
Tuesday, April 15 - Field sparrows are down in the meadow! Brown thrashers have arrived.
Sunday, April 13 - Eastern towhees have arrived.
Saturday, April 12 - Yellow-bellied sapsuckers have arrived.
Sunday, April 6 - Final sighting of American Tree Sparrows.
Friday, April 4 - Oh wonderful day! The PHOEBES and tree swallows are here!
Thursday, April 3 - Hear woodcocks singing while I was filling up my birdfeeder this morning.
Sunday, March 30 - I just saw a my first great blue heron of the spring flying over my yard.
Tuesday, March 25 - First American kestrel of the season on the telephone wires down the road.
Sunday, March 23 - Female red-winged blackbirds are here. The songs of red-winged blackbirds and grackles have started to dominate the world outside.
Saturday, March 22 - Canada geese are calling in the valley and a turkey vulture just flew over my house.
Friday, March 14 - Common Grackles have arrived!
Sunday, March 9 - Northern flicker in my yard!
Friday, March 7 - Red-winged blackbirds are back!
Sunday, March 2 - Vultures are back!
Thursday, February 20 - Three male brown-headed cowbirds on my porch.
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2013 Arrivals:
Friday, May 17 - ANOTHER BIG DAY!! Common yellowthroats, wood thrushes, green herons, and yellow-billed cuckoos are back. I saw/heard 35 species of birds from my porch!!
Thursday, May 16 - Great-crested flycatchers are back...and making quite a rukus!
Saturday, May 11 - First hummingbird of the seasion!
Friday, May 10 - ANOTHER BIG DAY!! Norther orioles, ovenbirds, and catbirds are back!
Sunday, May 5 - The yellow warblers have returned!
Saturday, May 4 - Northern waterthrush at Barton Cove (Connecticut River, Turners Falls)
Friday, May 3 - Male rose-breasted grosbeak at my feeder!
Sunday, April 18 - Broad-winged hawk just flew over my house. This was also the last day I saw juncos in my yard.
Friday, April 26 - House wrens are here!
Sunday, April 21 - A BIG DAY!! Field sparrows, meadowlarks, and towhees have arrived!
Friday, April 19 - Brown thrasher singing from the cottonwood tree in my yard! Yellow-bellied sapsucker in the woods to the south of my house.
Thursday, April 18 - Chipping sparrows have arrived! Almost exactly to the day as last year.
Tuesday, April 15 - Northern flickers are singing in the woods. Tree swallows are flying over the field and checking out the nest boxes.
Monday, April 8 - PHOEBES are here!!! They are already checking out the nesting shelf!!
Sunday, April 7 - Peepers are singing!
Saturday, April 6 - Tree Swallows flying over the lake!
Saturday, March 30 - First song sparrow song of the season! It's a beautiful morning and the bluebirds were singing from the cottonwood tree by my porch. Female red-bellied woodpecker here for the first time in months.
Friday, March 29 - For the first time this year the bluebirds and robins are a real presence. The bluebirds are singing and looking for nest boxes. The robins are talking to one another, but not singing yet.
Saturday, March 23 - American Kestrel just down the road. This is the same day that kestrels appeared last year!
Wednesday, March 20 - It's snowing...hard.
Tuesday, March 12 - Spotted a great blue heron!!
Sunday, March 10 - Killdeer call heard from a blue sky over my porch!
Friday, March 8 - Flock of turkey vultures!
Saturday, March 2 - First common gracke...on my proch railing!
Sunday, February 17 - Female brown-headed cowbird on the porch this morning!
Saturday, February 16 - First red-winged blackbird of the year on the porch this morning!
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2012 Arrivals:
**Due to warm conditions in 2012 American robins were seen in large numbers all "winter."
Friday, April 20 - Here's an odd collection: Towhees, Meadowlarks, Water Thrushes and Purple Finches all appeared today.
Wednesday, April 18 - House Wrens and Green Herons are back.
Tuesday, April 17 - Chipping Sparrows are back.
Sunday, April 15 - Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Field Sparrows are back.
Friday, April 6 - Tree swallows and phoebes arrived at my house today!!
Tuesday, March 27 - Killdeer are back
Friday, March 23 - American kestrels and Great blue herons are back.
Wednesday, March 7 - Woodcock in the lower field!
NOTE: Turkey vultures have been around, but I'm not sure if they ever really left.
Monday, February 20 - Red-winged blackbirds are back.
Saturday, February 11 - Common grackles are back.
Thursday, February 2 - Brown-headed cowbird on the porch.
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2011 Arrivals:
Wednesday, May 11 - Field sparrows and northern orioles are back & the phoebe has a nest full of eggs.
Tuesday, May 10 - White-crowned sparrows, ruby-throated hummingbirds, eastern towhees, and wood thrushes are back.
Sunday, May 8 - Brown thrashers are back.
Monday, May 2 - Rose-breasted grosbeaks and common yellowthroats are back.
Friday, April 29 - Gray catbirds are back.
Thursday, April 28 - House wrens are back.
Wednesday, April 27 - Chipping sparrows are back.
Tuesday, April 26 - The past few weeks have been cold and cloudy, rarely reaching the mid 50's. Last night there was a very energetic thunder storm and today the temperature hit 80 degrees. Get ready for the flood!!
Sunday, April 24 - Meadowlarks are back.
Thursday, April 21 - The blackbirds are back in force.
Sunday, April 17 - Rain, snow, wind, and cold.
Friday, April 15 - Finally something to report. Phoebes are back in my yard!
Monday, April 11 - Peepers and Wood Frogs are singing.
Saturday, April 9 - Tree Swallows are back.
Saturday, March 19 - Brown-headed cowbirds are here.
Friday March 11 - Common Grackes are here.
Wednesday March 9 - Turkey Vultures are here.
Suday, March 6 - Killdeer spotted in Hadley, Mass [thanks to Thom Stratford for writing in!]
Saturday March 5 - Red-winged Blackbirds are here.
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2010 Arrival Dates:
Sunday April 25 - I've been away for a week and things have changed a lot! Phoebes have eggs, Chipping Sparrows have arrived, and towhees are back!
Sunday April 11 - Juncos are still here, but white-throated sparrows appear to be gone.
Monday April 5 - Flickers and Killdeer are back (also first thunder storm of the year)
Sunday April 4 - Brown Thrashers are back (in Amherst Mass)
Friday April 2 - Tree swallows and phoebes are back.
Thursday April 1 - Peepers are singing
Wednesday March 31 - Kestrels are back
Tuesday March 30 - Wood ducks are back
Sunday March 21 - Hooded Mergansers and Ring-billed Ducks are back
Thursday March 11 - Grackles are back
Sunday March 7 - Turkey Vultures are back
Saturday March 6 - Redwinged Blackbirds are back
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2009 Arrival Dates:
Saturday, May 16 - Yellow-billed cuckoo, red-eyed vireo, spotted sandpiper, yellowlegs (not sure which one yet), vesper sparrow, bobolink.
Saturday, May 9 - First blue-winged warbler, common yellowthroat, ruby-throated hummingbird
Saturdya, May 2 - First gray catbird and eastern kingbird
Sunday, April 26 - First swamp sparrow, black-and-white warbler, blue-gray gnatcatcher, northern waterthrush
Saturday, April 25 - First yellow warbler and field sparrow of the season.
Tuesday, April 21 - First Field Sparrow in the morning.
Monday, April 20 - First eastern towhee in the rain at dusk.
Sunday, April 19 - First common snipe of the season! Also a life bird for me!!
Tuesday, April 14 - PHOEBES are here!! I'm home sick today and while sitting at my desk in my office I caught sight of my first phoebe of the year. Hooray!! I also heard my first yellow-bellied sapsucker of the year while out getting the paper.
Friday, April 10 - Chipping Sparrow on the porch. I also saw my first House Sparrow of the year (not associated with a fast food restaurant) - a male fighting with bluebirds for possession of a nest box.
Wednesday, April 8 - First woodcock of the season.
Saturday, April 4 - Tree Swallows are back! Very cold today.
Sunday, March 29 - First thunderstorm of the year.
Saturday, March 28 - American Kestrels are back! Saw an adult sitting on a phone wire.
Saturday, March 21 - Great Blue Herons are back! Also noticed first ring-necked ducks.
Sunday, March 15 - Killdeer are back!
Saturday, February 28 - Turkey Vultures are back!
Tuesday, February 17 - Common Grackles are back! Red-winged blackbirds have been here all winter.