[obol] Yard Bird Count

[Karen Marburger]

My backyard count, from a large city lot in North Portland, is 57.

Two flyovers are included, Canada Goose and Double-crested Cormorant.  
I've also included Starlings and House Sparrows (they're birds, after  
all). I haven't seen a Purple Finch at my feeders for five years, my  
Red-breasted Sapsucker is a one-off, and I've only seen a Mountain  
Chickadee during one winter, but all the rest are repeated sightings.  
And there are a few unidentified flycatchers and gulls that have  
slipped through the net...sigh.

My yard is messy--brush piles, half-dead trees, dandelions and weeds  
gone to seed. I have a bird bath, a hummingbird feeder, two feeders  
with black oil sunflower, and sometimes suet, but the starlings tend  
to take that over. I spend a lot of time looking out the window with  
binoculars, but I could probably tag more species if I were more  
obsessed.

Karen Marburger

kelmarb AT comcast.net