What's Up

Great Egret in Florida

Flock of Snow Buntings

Blue Jays

What's up in the world of birds, depends on where you live on the globe. Here, in NH, it's snowing right now, on top of the ice we got yesterday (and thankfully, no power outage). We just looked out the window at a large (100 plus birds) flock of American Goldfinches and Pine Siskins at our feeders. They all flew up suddenly and, right in their midst, flew a Sharp-shinned Hawk with a bird in its talons! Eeek! I had to listen to my own words from the blog yesterday. Even though in my heart I was horrified, in my head I knew the Sharpie had to eat too.

The Blue Jays are also in a flock of 10 pus birds and they chow down at our feeders. Birders who go birding on the coast of New Hampshire right now, can see Snow Buntings and other wonders. Snow Buntings are beautiful, small birds that breed in Alaska and the Arctic and winter in lower Canada and across much of the U.S. They stay in large flocks in winter.

In southern areas of the U.S., you can see many wintering birds; robins, ducks, shorebirds, raptors, herons, etc. In far southern areas, like south Florida, some resident herons, Ospreys and Bald Eagles have even begun nesting.

We had someone write to us with a question about swallows nesting now. We were puzzled until we found out they were writing from South Africa.

It all depends on where you are.