Saturday was the first day of Spring. We have been blessed with a beautiful weekend of weather here in central PA, with subfreezing temperatures at night, but day time temperatures in the 50’s.
Birds – Since the beginning of March, we have seen the return of the Robins but also the Grackles and the Starlings. Both the Starlings and the Grackles will land en masse into the yard, crowding out the smaller birds from seed on the ground.
The Song Sparrows and Goldfinch are now constants and it is pleasant to hear their songs once again. The House Finch, Mourning Doves, and House Finch have been present through winter. There are still a few Dark-eyed Junco, but in less number.
The Bluebirds have been active with the use of the new feeder. This feeder has been a good addition. The new nest boxes are still empty.
A listing of the birds spotted over the past week.
- House Finch
- Song Sparrow
- Goldfinch
- Bluebirds
- Mourning Doves
- Downy Woodpecker
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Grackles
- Crows
- (House Sparrows)
- (Starlings)
Garden
Most all shrubs are showing sings of life with buds present, but the garden is still generally brown. At ground level, some of the perennials have leaf formation.
I installed higher cages around the taller shrubs, especially the chokeberry bushes, as I noticed that the rabbits were causing some damage.
Pennsylvania Native Garden Journey 