WHO AM I? I like bright-colored flowers with lots of nectar. As flowers begin to fade in the fall I start my journey south. I eventually make it to Florida and stay there until I’ve built up a substantial supply of fat to fuel my journey back across the Gulf of Mexico to my winter home. I feed every 10 to 15 minutes. I am capable of moving up to 60 miles per hour.
I am a RUBY THROATED HUMMINGBIRD
Feeding the young. Note the drop of nectar on the beak. Picture above and top right courtesy of John Owens. Pictures Copyright protected. Feeding time. Note the yellow pollen on the hummer’s head. Time for a quick snack Above picture courtesy of Bill Smylie/copyrighted
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are about 3.5 inches in length. Metallic green above, white below: the males has a brilliant red throat. Needle-like bill. The smallest of all birds. In flight they make a humming sound with their wings, which accounts for their name. Remarkable powers of flight, the only bird that can fly backwards. Constantly in motion, perching only briefly to rest. White or blue eggs. The nest is about 2 inches in diameter, is covered with lichens and is saddled to the branch of a tree, usually in a forest clearing. Male and Female Ruby Throated Hummingbirds Photos courtesy of Rick Barletta / copyright protected
WHO AM I? I almost became extinct I am a cavity nester but not capable of creating my own cavity. I have 2 or 3 broods each season. I like open country, farms, gardens, parks and fields. Many people think my song is very melodious. I like to winter around the Gulf of Mexico.
I AM AN EASTERN BLUEBIRD Photo courtesy of Arlene Ripley/copyrighted
Bluebird eggs Newly hatched Bluebirds Female enjoying a meal worm. Notice the duller color blue of the female bluebird. Male returning to the nest. Note the bright blue of the male. Photos copyrighted Arlene Ripley Bluebird fledgling Hey, I’m over here mom! Female Bluebird resting.
Bluebirds measure about 7 in. in length. The male is bright blue above with a reddish-brown breast and white belly. The female is duller. The nest is built by the female in a natural cavity, like an old woodpecker hole, stump, or nest box. Bluebirds like to eat insects such as crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, katydids, berries and wild grapes.
WHO AM I? I prefer large shade trees. I am sometimes considered a signal of spring. I usually have two broods a season. My habitat is gardens, parks and woodlands.
I AM A ROBIN
Robin eggs Hey Mom, we’re hungry! Fledgling Bath time! Taking a moment to rest. Ever watchful for supper.
Although usually considered a greeter of spring, Robins often winter in the northern states. They frequent cedar bogs and swamps and are not usually noticed by the casual observer. Robins lay 3 to 5 eggs in a well-made cup of mud reinforced with grass and twigs. Robins are 9 to 11 inches in length. Robins are gray above, brick-red below. The head and tail are black in males and dull gray in females.
WHO AM I? I like to travel in flocks. I am often called the “Wild Canary.” I am smaller than a sparrow. I nest late and only have a single brood each season. In the winter I gather in large flocks, often with other finches such as “red-polls” and “siskins.” I winter south of the Gulf of Mexico and in southern Mexico.
I Am An American Goldfinch
Winter plumage…note the duller color. Female enjoying some thistle seed. Male goldfinch. Notice the small seed in the beak. Young goldfinch resting.
The American Goldfinch is smaller than a sparrow and is about 4.5 to 5 inches in length. The female lays 4 or 5 pale blue eggs in a well made cup of grass, bark strips, and plant down which are placed in the upright fork of a small sapling or a shrub. During breeding the male is bright yellow with a black forehead, tail and black on the edge of the wings. The wings are barred with white. Females are much dull as are males outside the breeding season, with some gray
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GOOD BYE FOR NOW