Brown thrashers are always on the edge watching, singing from the top of a tree, or back in a corner of the yard under a bush going through leaves. When I first started seeing them, they were so shy, taking off whenever I moved. After a couple of years of throwing peanuts to them, they are less weary of me, and I get to see them close and often. Click on pictures to enlarge.
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
I never mean to wait this long to post. Here are a few of our year-round residents and spring visitors. Most of these are mid-May through mid-June. Click on pictures to enlarge.
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
I am thoroughly enjoying the many brown thrashers in the yard this year. Today was a good hot day for much anting, bathing, and sunning. Click on pictures to enlarge.
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
I love how much activity there is right now! Click on pictures to enlarge.
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
Sitting in the backyard is so much better than television! Click on pictures to enlarge.
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
And, don’t forget the mammals.
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
One of my favorite signs of spring is the arrival of the brown thrashers and their beautiful songs from high in the trees. Click on pictures to enlarge.
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
Adults are starting to bring their babies around and I am loving watching the robins stuff as many raisins in their mouths as they can to distribute among the young ones. I was thinking this morning that perhaps one of the reasons few people really experience the birds around them is it takes a lot of time before birds become comfortable enough with a human to get close. I have robins coming up to me on the patio for raisins, but that did not happen overnight (I started handing out raisins during our awful extended winter). They are leery of humans, as they should be. Generally, when I sit outside to watch, I need to be in my “sit spot” for about an hour before they get comfortable enough with my presence to hangout nearby. I realize my own privilege in being able to make time to do this. Time outside being still and quiet, watching everything, is immensely good for my soul. Click on pictures to enlarge.
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
They are just nifty! I love watching them root around and dart in and out of the bushes. We are very lucky to have them nesting in the yard every year. This morning when I was watering our small trees, one kept running in and out of the water. It is incredibly hot in Kansas right now. Keep those bird baths full. If you do not have one, put some water out in a bowl. Click on pictures to enlarge.
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
Juvenile, waiting for a bite to eat.
© Chris Taylor
If you have ever seen a brown thrasher running along the ground sorting through the brush and throwing things this way and that, then you know where the name came from. They are not only excellent foragers, but they have a beautiful song. It’s wonderful to see them again this summer. Click on pictures to enlarge.
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
So far, it looks like we have catbirds, cardinals, Carolina wrens, house sparrows, robins, and this lovely brown thrasher nesting in our yard. I’m sure there are many I have not seen yet. I don’t move shrubs or tree branches to get a better look. If I can’t see them from the outside, then I have no business messing with their homes. I highly recommend taking a moment to listen to the brown thrasher song.
© Chris Taylor