Bird sitings

These, like the wildflowers, are lumped into one, since I just started this blog thingie.

What I’ve seen or heard this Spring (from memory): Great Blue Heron, pairs of Wood Ducks, woodpeckers (not id'ed yet), yellow-crowned night herons (they like to nest in the tall beautiful trees around our neighborhood), some various species of hawks, an owl or two, green heron, cedar waxwings, ruby-crowned kinglet, tufted titmouse, cardinals, starlings*, great-tailed grackles, rock pigeons, mourning doves, and white-winged doves.

*I’ve noticed that the starlings may be competing with the woodpeckers for their nesting holes. The woodpeckers clear out their holes (by the way, this is a GOOD reason to keep some trees and branches around that are standing dead) and then the starlings take over. In fact, I saw some starlings harassing one of the woodpeckers on the large elm tree (with several holes) and now I see starlings exiting that very hole. Some others have found that the starlings displace woodpeckers and other cavity nesters.

Other wildlife - The snapping turtles are back, and I saw a juvenile Texas rat snake in my front yard (Go get those damn rats, Mr. Snake!).