We live in the woods, with river bottoms to the west and Rend Lake Conservancy District to the north, so we have a lot of wild birds in the area. We feed them in the winter, and we have plenty of things here to attract them in the summer.
I get am kick out of the towhees, which are deep woods birds, and only show up in the worst winter weather.
I love my little Carolina wrens, that hang around all year, and have so much personality. Last year, they built a nest in a huge staghorn fern that I had hanging just outside the bathroom window. I could sit on the loo and watch them feeding the babies. It drove the cat crazy. He'd sit in the window sill and try to catch them through the glass.
It's cool watching the big red tailed hawk, perching in the top of our oaks and watching the field beyond our fencerow for mice and snakes. He has a wingspread of 4-5 feet, and when he soars overhead, he casts a big shadow on the ground.
The cardinals are always here, but they look especially beautiful when the trees are covered with snow. They hang in the branches like Christmas tree ornaments, waiting their turn at the feeder.
Then there are the woodpeckers...downy, red-bellied, nut hatches and flickers. Junkos, tit-mice, chickadees, pee wees, house wrens, evening grosbeaks, gold finches, and even an occasional wild hen turkey are some of our other visiters.
(though it could be worse... it is facing the courtyard so the noise from the street hardly reaches here)
