1991 and 1992 (various dates)

Very soon after we moved into our new home in Indiana, I put up some bird feeders in the backyard. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but almost immediately, birds began to arrive, along with squirrels and chipmunks. The first I remember seeing were a deep, gorgeous red with black markings on the face, whose whistled song. I discovered that I wasn’t satisfied to just watch them go about their business anonymously – I needed to know their names. Field guide in hand, I was easily able to identify the ☆Northern Cardinal☆, as well as a good variety of other birds in the yard. And, just like that, I’d started out with this glorious (and sometimes consuming) pass-time of birding.

The gorgeous ☆Northern Cardinal☆ – which I’d never seen before moving to Indiana – are abundant here. On occasion, I have called them into the yard by whistling. Actually, I’d seen very few of our backyard birds in California. ☆Blue Jay☆ are noisy, but I like their boldness and they certainly are beautiful. ☆Black-capped Chickadee☆ and ☆Tufted Titmouse☆ are often seen associating together, especially in the winter. So tiny and cute and fun to watch! ☆American Goldfinch☆ are bright and pretty, and ☆Brown-headed Cowbird☆ come to the feeders, as well. I have learned to identify both the whinny call and the single note chip of ☆Downy Woodpecker☆, and I was thrilled when a pair of ☆White-breasted Nuthatch☆ nested in the neighborhood, and I was able to watch the entire family (including juveniles) come and feed in our yard. What fun!

Birds that are familiar to me from California include ☆American Crow☆, who are regular visitors to our yard. A large colony lives in our neighborhood and they are very common throughout the area. ☆Mourning Dove☆ have one of the calls I can identify. Although they seem sort of drab from a distance, up close their colors are subtle and beautiful. Really attractive birds when seen close up. House Finch and ☆Red-tailed Hawk☆ are also seen regularly. A pair of hawks lives in our neighborhood and I often see them soaring together or being mobbed by crows.

The other usual suspects in the yard include several species of mammal. ☆Eastern Cottontail☆ have been regular visitors to our yard and have nested in our back patch at various times. They are so cute! We also have resident ☆Eastern Chipmunk☆ on our property. I first noticed them when I discovered that the strawberries I’d been growing in the back garden had been nibbled. Later, a few of them moved into the garage, where we’d been storing some bird seed. They actually weren’t a bother, so we allowed them to stay in the garage. Super cute. Various squirrels were often seen in the yard, swinging from the bird feeders. There are three species in the area – Eastern Squirrel, Fox Squirrel, and American Red Squirrel – and I’m not sure which ones were visiting our yard (although it’s possible that we had all three in our yard at one time or another).

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Species List

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis cardinalis), American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos brachyrhynchos), Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata), Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor), Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura carolinensis), American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis tristis), House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus frontalis), White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis carolinensis), Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens), Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis borealis), Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater ater), Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus), Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus)

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