Backyard Birds

When the weather is agreeable I am out in the backyard photographing birds. Last Friday, I spotted a dark-eyed junco eating seeds underneath our feeder and a white-throated sparrow that landed on a branch. I had not seen any white-throated sparrows for a while and had wondered whether they had left yet. Winter is not officially over until these migrants have returned to Canada. Yet, the next day my husband spotted a sparrow with a particularly white breast. Apparently, I had seen the tan-triped variety. I have also seen (and heard) cowbirds in our yard recently. And let's not forget the red-winged blackbirds that pass through every few days.
In a few days I'll have to prepare the first mix of hummingbird syrup because these little flying machines show up around May 1 or 2. I wouldn't want them to pass up our yard because I forgot to hang up a feeder. I am less fortunate with an oriole feeder. For a couple of years, I hung out an oriole feeder after spotting an oriole in our neighbor's tree. But, none of them ever visited my feeder and it's now collecting dust.