The Best Bird Day So Far

This has been the best bird day.  As I write this, our Carolina Wren is hanging from the suet feeder.  I have a special affection for the Carolina Wren, though I can't rightly say why. Maybe it's their rareness at my feeders, or maybe it's their beautiful songs, or maybe it's just their shape.

Mrs. Cardinal is in the bush, showing off her brilliant orange beak and red-tinted wing and tail feathers.  She and Mr. Cardinal, who has also made a showing today, are frequent visitors to our feeders, but never stop amazing me with their colours.

Earlier this morning (this was immediately posted to my twitter feed) while I was writing the post on the snow storm, a red-tailed hawk swooped in and perched on a telephone pole just across the street form my window.  He sat there for a few minutes surveying the territory before flying off.  What a magnificent sight.

I just identified my first American Tree Sparrow -- with the bi-coloured beak -- one of the sparrows I've been trying to identify.  I had thought it was an American Tree Sparrow, but I had to see it through binoculars to see the beak.  I'm quite excited to know what it is!

Shortly thereafter I saw my first red-bellied woodpecker since moving from Belchertown to Hadley.


And between all these, I am watching black-capped chickadees, goldfinches, robins, mourning doves, house sparrows, dark-eyed juncos, tufted titmice, downy woodpeckers, and an assortment of other small birds.  I wonder if we'll see turkeys in our yard this year.

Later this afternoon (I'm editing the post to add this), a flock of robins came flying to our apple tree and red-berry bush (possibly some type of holly?), and along with these robins came cedar waxwings!  I have never seen these in person (only in photos), and I have been hoping to see some ever since I found out about them.  At least four of them in our apple tree right now!  They are beautiful. 
Yes, this has been the best bird day so far.

Find out about birds by clicking on the links above or by visiting All About Birds by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

I think, perhaps, I should join a birding club....

(This post was delayed by a day.)