Well, the dual blizzard effect blew in a few new yard birds to add to my meager list. At one point yesterday, I looked out the window at the feeders (mounted on the deck), and saw a single Song Sparrow in the middle of the feeder tray, flaring its wings and aggressively charging the various members of a rather nonplussed gang of House Sparrows. After a valiant effort to defend its newly discovered cache of sunflower seeds, it flew off into the crabapple tree. A couple of minutes later, a White-throated Sparrow (another new yard bird!) popped into view. The Song Sparrow reappeared shortly afterward and fed undisturbed.

Other blizzard birds at the feeder: Northern Cardinals (both male & female), a pair of American Goldfinches (not seen in the yard since mid-fall), many Mourning Doves, and the local Northern Mockingbird, who has done his very best to micro-manage the whole operation.

Tomorrow I may actually get out to do some real birding.  Oh, and this weekend is the Great Backyard Bird Count, so if you feel so inclined, it’s really easy to participate and can take up as little as 15 minutes of your time for one, two, or all four days. It’s a fun way to help the birds by providing scientists with data on a scale they would never be able to gather on their own.