the birds

This spring the kids and I have really gotten into bird watching. We have seen so many beautiful birds in our backyard. So many in fact that we haven't even had to travel out of the yard to find a variety of these wonderful animals God created.
Here are a few of the one's we've found that rank near the top of our favorites list!

First, the Western Tanager. Now it could be that we simply haven't paid that much attention to birds in the past but I don't ever remember seeing these in our yard. They showed up about 2 weeks ago and their feathers are such a lovely contrast to the green of the trees they're in.

The Oriole. These boys just started visiting our feeders this past week. Oh the orange and black! Stunning! The females are here too and while they're not as bright, they are still a very pretty bird.

The Varied Thrush. This one is my personal favorite. I haven't seen them lately in the yard but earlier this spring they were abundant. The picture here doesn't really do them justice. The colors of their feathers are so beautiful together.

The Norther Flicker. This bird is actually part of the woodpecker family but mostly scurries around on the ground. Look at those spots! The males have the bright read feathers near their beak while the females don't have any red at all.

And remember those Starlings? Well, we still haven't made that pie but they did make a nest in a tree hollow in the back and, with the help of a ladder, the kids were able to see the babies up close. That was so exciting!
Do you bird watch? If you have children and homeschool, have you done a nature study on the birds in your yard? What is your favorite native bird?

*Oh, and I wanted to add that we have found some great bird books on Amazon used books. I got a book specifically on birds in N. California for $0.18!*