Osceola, Indiana

May, 1993

This is a collection of birds regularly seen in the backyard and neighborhood this summer.

• At least one pair of darling Killdeer moved in next to the small lakes in our subdivision. They have been here every year, and I often hear their plaintive call, then can spot them circling about.
• For a number of years, one or more tiny ☆House Wren☆ set up shop in the neighbor’s yard across the street. I hear that bubbly song often. On a couple of occasions, the bird has ventured across the street into my backyard, and I have seen it singing in the tree closest to the sliding glass doors. While I have heard that they can be aggressive and destructive, they certainly are cute, and joyful to listen to.
• Have seen ☆Turkey Vulture☆ many times soaring over the yard, and the rest of our neighborhood.
• Field Sparrow have been heard and seen in our yard on a few occasions, although not as often since more houses went up nearby.
• I have seen pairs or small flocks of Mallard flying over our property on several occasions.
• I saw and heard Song Sparrow in our yard before so many new houses were constructed and destroyed the fields nearby.
• Most years, several ☆Eastern Meadowlark☆ take up residence in and around our neighborhood. From my house and yard, I can often hear them singing, and occasionally I have seen one on Dunn Road or Beech Road.
• On a couple of occasions I have seen Myrtle Warbler flitting about in our trees. They don’t go to the feeders, but they spend time eating the insects which live near the tops of our trees. Very striking in breeding plumage.
• One of the first birds to arrive in the spring, there are lots of American Robin in Indiana. Later, I saw flocks of hundreds in Florida.
• One of my most memorable sightings of all time, I spotted a bird early in the morning, after having spent the night on the couch so the birdsong would wake me in the morning. A medium-sized bird with a white belly, and a blood-red stain at the top of the breast, my first reaction was that this bird was wounded and bleeding. It was a pleasant surprise to look in my Peterson’s and discover that male ☆Rose-breasted Grosbeak☆ are supposed to look this way. Gorgeous! I always enjoy seeing this beautiful bird, although it took me a while to learn to recognize the female as a grosbeak, instead of searching the book for really large sparrows!
• ☆Common Grackle☆ arrive fairly early in spring, and stay around through the summer. I often have flocks of upwards of thirty birds all foraging in the grass at once. I think many people consider them pesky, but I think they are gorgeous with their iridescent blue heads. They have not nested in our yard to my knowledge, but I am aware of other places in the neighborhood where they do nest.
• Adorable ☆Chipping Sparrow☆ have been regular visitors to our yard for the first couple of years we lived here.
• A beautiful Baltimore Oriole was a welcome surprise!
• While watching the backyard from the family room couch I spotted an incredible Scarlet Tanager in one of the trees towards the back of my yard. I wouldn’t have believed a bird could be such a BRIGHT color! Beautiful!

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Species List

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus vociferus), House Wren (Troglodytes aedon), Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura septentrionalis), Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla), Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos), Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna), Myrtle Warbler (Setophaga coronata coronata), American Robin (Turdus migratorius), Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus), Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula), Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina passerina), Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula), Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea)

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