Treasure Trove of Birds!

I often think of Bird watching as a treasure hunt that I don't have to set up! Spring Migration is an ideal time to find returning birds!

It was exciting to find my first Warbler of the year - a Yellow-rumped Warbler on April Fools Day! 

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers have also returned to Canatara Park! They are the only completely migratory woodpeckers in Eastern North America. The sap wells made by these birds attract butterflies and hummingbirds which also feed off the sap flowing from the tree. In some parts of Canada, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds rely so much on sap wells that they time their spring migration with the arrival of sapsuckers!

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-bellied_Sapsucker/overview

Brown Creepers can be found spiraling up trunks and main branches as they look for food by probing into crevices and picking at loose bark with their slender, downcurved bills. They burn an estimated 4-10 calories per day. By eating a single spider, a Creeper gains enough energy to climb nearly 200 feet vertically!

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Creeper/overview

Fox Sparrows tend to feed on the ground close to dense vegetation. They enjoy small seeds and many kinds of berries. Fox Sparrows will scratch for fallen seeds underneath bird feeders. Encouraging shrubs or berry bushes to grow at the edges of your yard, or keeping a brush pile, are good ways to provide places for Fox Sparrows to forage. (Video was taking through a glass window in our backyard.)

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Fox_Sparrow/overview

In recent years, Canada Geese have nested on roof tops in Canatara Park. With the construction of the building that houses the "Canatara Choo Choo", the geese have a new spot to check for nesting opportunities away from many predators.