Sunday, April 01, 2007

Egg-citement

The bluebird couple is on eggs. Yay!
We checked the box yesterday and saw two eggs cozily snuggled together inside the nest. And what a nest it is--the female carried in enough materials to build a nest the size of a baseball glove. She's spending a lot of time in the birdhouse now and the male frequently brings her juicy worms and other delicacies. This is so cool.

Hummingbirds are here!
Our first hummingbird arrived March 27, just in time for my birthday last Thursday! That was mightly thoughtful. As I sat typing this, one buzzed the feeder and guzzled a bit of sugar water, but it sped away before I could see whether it was a male or female.

I hope all the hummers are staying warm. We've had a cold snap and the temps dropped quite a bit. But at least the little birds won't go hungry. All the flowering shrubs and fruit trees are in bloom, as well as many flowers.

Gold and black
The male American goldfinches are shedding their drab winter feathers and replacing them with the sunny yellow that is so gorgeous. Right now, the little guys look rather shabby. There are bright yellow patches all over their bodies and black spots where their black caps are coming in; they look sort of like bag-birds. But soon enough, they'll be dressed in their stunning summer outfits of brilliant yellow and shiny black, and will be pigging out at the feeder and on the grasses in the field. I love these birds!

Parrot news
Both parrots are doing great. Rio turns 21 this year! He's in wonderful condition, healthy and happy. And Pancho has been busily learning new sounds. We got a beagle puppy back in October and Pancho picked up some of his vocalizations. *sigh* Actually, I don't mind. I'm always thrilled when one of them displays a new trick.

'Til next time, be well and keep an eye out for the feathered creatures in your area. They put on some of the best shows on Earth!

3 comments:

ohdawno said...

I took one of the grandkitties to the vet the other day and as I was waiting for him to get his shots a lady with a HUGE parrot walked in. He/she (how do you tell?) was beautiful with such vibrant green feathers (I'm trying to remember the color of the face and can't quite - red?). I thought of you and the battle birds, immediately!

Anne C. Watkins said...

Oh, no! Hope the grandkitty is okay.

The best way to tell the sex of an Amazon parrot (the big green birds) is when one lays an egg. Then you know 'it' is a she. LOL

They're tricksy, those Amazon parrots. :D

Anne C. Watkins said...

Oh, one more thing, Dawno:

Actually there are tests that can be done to determine the sex of parrots. But the egg test is pretty reliable. :D