Actual photos of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker working on my backyard maple tree, plus a close-up of the rows of holes he left in my pecan tree.
April 2024
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Let’s go exotic for April! Well actually, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker—despite its quirky name—is pretty common in North America. You can find them from Canada all the way down to Panama.
​
Sapsuckers drill holes into bark just like other woodpeckers. But don’t expect to hear any jackhammering when they’re around. They’re quieter workers, making neat rows of holes to search for sap and trapped insects that they lick up with their brush-tipped tongues. They also make and maintain shallow rectangles that they return to for later meals.
​
When I moved to my new house last year, I noticed one of my trees was filled with rows of little holes—from the trunk way up its branches. At the time, having had no idea this was a sapsucker’s work, I spent hours online looking up what kind of strange tree I had before learning that it was a sapsucker to blame! Right after finding that out, sure enough, a sapsucker landed in the tree.
​
Now he’s moved to the sugar maple right outside my office. That’s him in the photos. (The red patch on the throat gives him away as a “he”).
March 2024
House Sparrow
Keeping with the theme of "common" everyday birds, I present the House Sparrow. It’s got “house” in its name, so that’s a clue as to where they like to hang out. Okay, not inside your house, of course, but you’ll find them pecking around places where people are, such as suburban neighborhoods, city streets, and farms.
If you hear lots of chirping inside your neighbor’s hedge, there’s a good chance a few house sparrows are inside. (By the way, that's the extent of their singing--just chirps.)
​
When I was growing up, any small brown bird was a sparrow to me. But actually, there’s lots of different kinds of sparrows in North America—dozens, actually!
And here’s a fun fact for ya: The House Sparrow isn’t native to North America. Back in 1851, a bunch of them were brought over from Europe and released in New York City (yeah, people did odd stuff like that back then).
February 2024
Northern Cardinal
Our February bird is another one that’s common in North America—The Northern Cardinal. It’s a pretty bird, and popular, too: Seven states claim it as their official bird, and many a holiday card and calendar have featured a stunning male posing against a snowy backdrop (although the females have a beauty of their own—just not as showy).
​
One particular reason February is a good month to talk about cardinals is the holiday of love that we celebrate—Valentine’s Day. Cardinals, you see, have been known to mate for life. And get this—during breeding season, the males will feed seeds to their partners! I’ve actually seen this happening at my feeder station and couldn’t help but let out an, Aww, how sweet! (especially since it looks like they’re kissing when they do that). My husband and I have taken to calling any cardinal pair we see “Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal.”
​
Northern Cardinals are fine singers, too, with their cheer-cheer-cheer and birdie-birdie-birdie and what I’ve heard someone describe as the space laser gun. They’re also frequent feeder visitors, often the first to come in the morning and the last to stop by in the evening.
​
And yet, with all the reasons to love cardinals, how many of us pass them by with barely a passing glance? Let’s resolve this year to stop and admire the cardinals in our lives.
January 2024
American Robin
January’s Bird of the Month is the humble American Robin, one of my earliest bird memories growing up in the city. For a while I thought its official name was Robin Redbreast, since that’s what so many people called it. (The fact that the bird’s breast looked orange confused me, but I just went along with it.)
​
American Robins aren’t birdseed eaters. They prefer worms and insects and often forage on the ground. They also eat berries; I’ve seen them in winter plucking them from trees and shrubs. They will join in on the bird action in your yard and may partake if you offer stuff like mealworms and fruit. They also visit birdbaths.
​
The robin’s song is relatively loud and goes something like cheerily, cheer up, cheer up, cheerily, cheer up. They also do a loud laugh.
​
Fun fact: Every once in a while an American Robin will get blown off course during migration and end up across the Atlantic! British birdwatchers will flock to see this rare (for them) species with their own eyes. So whenever you're out birding and think to yourself “Oh, it’s just a boring robin,” try to remember how amazing the sight is to those in the U.K.