Baltimore Oriole, This male arrived yesterday, 4/29/2025. They spend the winter either in Florida, along the southern Atlantic coast, or in southern Mexico.
What’s going on in our woods here? It’s the most exciting time of the year with the arrival of many bird species from the south. All photos were made during the last seven days, except for one, which is from the last week in April 2024. Beside what I can present today, other birds showed up as well, like the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, White-throated Sparrow, or the Eastern Whip-poor-will, but not every sighting or sound in the woods leads to a photo. I also like to include in my little bird report some local residents because mating and preparation for nesting puts a spin on their behavior as well. I hope you enjoy today’s images!
Baltimore Oriole, The first female followed today, 4/30/2025
House Wren, Usually they are the first bird that arrives after the winter, 4/18/2025, Several males sing their heart out from early morning until late evening, but the females are still not here yet.
Chipping Sparrow, They arrived from the south a day after the House Wren, 4/19/2025, and a pair is feeding together on the ground since. Their fast-pulsing song is always a sure sign of spring for me. I didn’t get a decent shot so far but present an image that was made last year, 4/28/2024.
American Robin, While many people celebrate their arrival in early spring, we have seen them here in our woods occasionally during the winter. This female had obviously an early start and was collecting already nest material in the front yard
Female American Goldfinch, By a complete molt of their body feathers goldfinches change from winter plumage to breeding plumage in spring. It is the only finch species that have this second molt. This female had obviously still a few feathers of its winter dress left.
Brown-headed Cowbird, This pair showed up 4/24/2025 and visited one of our feeders several times since. Nobody really wants to see them because they are brood parasites and deposit their eggs in nests that belong to other bird species. They typically hatch earlier than their host’s eggs, which gives them an advantage over the other hatchlings.
Male American Goldfinch, He is done molting and looks gorgeous in his breeding plumage. The previously mentioned Brown-headed Cowbird may lay an egg in a goldfinch nest, but the hatchling may die because the seed-based diet provided by the parents cannot support the cowbird.
Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Several male birds arrived 4/25/2025 and refuel with sunflower seeds after their long journey from Central or maybe even South America. The first two females followed yesterday.