A brief bird note

Gardener's Corner, the backyard, Flatbush.


This week I've been cleaning up the backyard and rearranging things there to get ready for a garden party in a few weeks. It's not all work. I also get to sit back and enjoy watching the visitors to my garden. The corner above is my favorite spot. At one point this afternoon, there were six native bird species present:

• White-throated Sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis
  
• Downy Woodpecker, Picoides pubescens
  
• Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura
  
• Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis
  
• Blue Jay, Cyanocitta cristata
  
• Catbird, Dumetella carolinensis (heard but not seen in the branches above me)
  

In the backyard I keep two birdfeeders, one with suet and the other with seed, and a shallow water dish. This attracts a variety of birds. The six species above are all common visitors to my backyard, but their simultaneous appearance was unusual.