My Spring Surprise

by Linda Stokes
(Pennsylvania)

I feed a large variety of birds from my back deck and shepherds hooks at my front window. To my surprise and delight I saw a very unusual bird at my front window. Black and white with a patch of red on his chest. I knew it was not a Wood Pecker due to the shape of his beak. I grabbed my bird identification books and discovered it was a Rose Breasted Grosbeak. I have since found that I have three of them visiting my feeder. I have so many different birds that I am setting up different feeding centers. I would like the larger birds under my large tree in the front yard and small Chickadees, Finches and Sparrows in the back. I hope it works. I also saw a Bald Headed Eagle on my pond a few weeks ago. What a thrill.
The Blue Jays, Woodpeckers, Cow Birds and Cardinals are out in abundance this year. I also have a couple squirrels that like to compete for their share. Did I mention that I have two very spoiled cats that are always entertained by the wild life that can be observed from their baskets by the sliding glass doors. Warm sunshine and birdwatching from a basket. What more could a cat ask for ?