Just counted 12 different bird species in my yard this morning

I keep a little notebook by the kitchen window and finally hit a dozen species in one day. It was all the usual ones like cardinals and chickadees, but then a red-bellied woodpecker and a pair of cedar waxwings showed up. I've only been watching for about six months, so this felt like a big win. Has anyone else had a day where a bunch of different birds just all decided to visit at once?

3 comments

3 Comments

kellyr181mo ago

Honestly I used to think bird watching was just for older folks with nothing better to do. But I started putting out a feeder last fall and it completely changed my mind. Seeing that many different birds in one spot is actually really exciting, it's like a little nature show. Hitting twelve species is a huge deal, especially with waxwings, those are so cool. It makes you realize how much life is going on right outside your window that you usually just miss.

river_rivera4514d agoMost Upvoted

Has anyone else noticed how keeping a notebook actually makes you sit still longer and see more? @kellyr18 you mentioned it being a nature show, and yeah a notebook is like having your own little field guide to that show. I don't write down every single bird either, just the ones I have to look up later cause I can't figure out what they are. That's how I discovered a pair of Swainson's thrushes were stopping by my yard every spring for like three years straight. Would've never noticed the pattern without jotting it down. Do you ever get the urge to ID something you can't quite place?

spencerm521mo ago

Twelve different birds is a lot, I mean good for you. I just don't get keeping a notebook about it though. It feels like making a hobby out of something that just happens. Like @kellyr18 said it's a nature show, but you don't take notes on every TV show you watch. Maybe it's just me but counting them all seems like you're turning it into a job instead of just enjoying it.