Greensboro Birds

I’m liveblogging this family of house finches. Right now, the adults are outside the office window with one of their fledglings, showing it the ropes of the niger seed sock. What a racket—I can hardly get any work done!

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House finches are invading in massive numbers today. The eastern redbuds as I type this are hosting 12 that I can see, and I know there are many more in the woods because they are singing their little heads off. We’re having flurries today, and a convergence of high and low fronts are provoking the [...]

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The Piedmont is under a winter storm warning tonight. We might see our first snow of the season, but more likely we’ll just get some icy roads that’ll keep us housebound for a few hours at the end of our little road. The birds are loading up at all the feeders. This morning has been [...]

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Sing it with me: One of these things is not like the other …
That streaked bird is a pine siskin, which commonly flocks with American goldfinches. Bird blogs and message boards are abuzz with news of a possible big irruptive year for several species, including the siskin, due to the poor seed crops in both [...]

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We’ve got a mighty wind at Chez Lonesome today. I gave up trying to keep the lids on the feeders, which seems a-okay to these American goldfinches. Climb on in there, birds, be my guest.

The trees outside my office window are popular with yellow-rumped warblers. I do worry, however, that this wind is going to [...]

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UPDATE 11/2: Local birder Stephanie emailed today wondering if this is actually a female purple finch. After consulting the various field guides, I’m on the fence with this ID. Stephanie might be right—which would be awesome because I could finally put purple finch on my life list. Opinions are welcome, either in the comments or [...]

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Like people, birds tend to look a little ragged after having kids. The adults are consumed with feeding, training, and protecting their young, and their feathers become faded and ratty. At this time of year, it’s common for some birds—especially Cardinals—to lose whole heads full of feathers, like Nosferatu and this female Northern Cardinal. The [...]

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Having only a balcony and no yard, not to mention living on an upper floor, poses challenges to apartment-dwelling birders. For instance, how to include a water feature? Here’s one solution. I found this crazy-looking bird bath at Walmart for $10. As you can see, this Tufted Titmouse approves. So do the Carolina Chickadees and [...]

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