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Writer's pictureThomas Cagney

Your Field Guide to Backyard Birds

Updated: Apr 19, 2022

Each day, hundreds of birds assess your property's potential for food, water, and a safe place to raise their young. When your backyard meets their needs, area birds choose your "habitat" to hunt, feed, and breed.


New habits for your new habitat


Optimize your backyard experience with these three small commitments:

1) Tour your property

Your property is integrated with nature; next, integrate yourself with your property! According to David and Austin Perlmutter, authors of Brain Wash, the calm stillness and exercise of daily nature walks reduces stress and relaxes your mind.


2) Observe

Pay attention to the activity in your yard. What changes do you notice? Is the feeder active? Are birds using the birdbath? Are you seeing birds hunting on your lawn or foraging your shrubs and trees?


3) Know your customers- learn your bird's names!


Knowledge of birds by species, sex differences, and vocalizations immerses you into their environment. This information creates the context for everything you learn about their behavior, seasonal diets, and nesting habits.


I can help with this!


The field guide below features the most frequent visitors to my property.

All images below were taken on my one-acre suburban property in eastern PA.

 

Eastern Bluebird

Left: Female, Right: Male

Profile

  • An insectivore prefers beetle grubs and caterpillars, will visit a suet or platform feeder with mealworms

    • Male and female feed young

  • Non- Migratory in PA

  • Nests in tree cavities and nest boxes

  • Field Observations

-Male and female feed young

-House Sparrows will evict bluebirds from their nest

-Will roost on wrought iron fixtures


Habitat destruction nearly eliminated Bluebirds from Pennsylvania. Fortunately, their populations have rebounded due to amateur naturalists adding thousands of nest boxes to their property.


Eastern Bluebird Call

 

Northern Cardinal

Left: Male, Right: Female


Profile

  • Diet includes insects, seeds, and fruit. Will visit feeder, prefers platform feeder or ground feeding

  • Up to three broods per year

  • Non- Migratory

  • Field Observation

-Will feed on adult Japanese Beetles



Northern Cardinal Call


 

Carolina Chickadee

Males and Females feature the same coloring.


Profile

  • Diet includes insects, seeds, and fruit. A frequent visitor to the feeder

  • Non- Migratory

  • Field Observation

-Often, the first bird to test a new feeder


Scientists consider chickadees to be North America's most intelligent songbirds.


[The Chickadees] system of communication is among the most sophisticated and exacting of any land animal

-Jennifer Ackerman, author of the Genius of Birds



Carolina Chickadee Call

 

House Finch

Left: Male, Right: Female (foreground)


Profile

  • Diet includes seeds, leaf buds, and fruit. A frequent visitor to the feeder

  • Non- Migratory

  • Field Observations:

-Frequently nests in hanging plants and wreaths.

-Will visit feeders in large social groups

-Grazes on red sedum


House Finch Call

 

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

Female Ruby-Throated hummingbird. The male (not pictured) features a bright red collar.


Profile

  • Feeds on nectar and occasionally insects. Will come to a nectar feeder

  • Migrates south for winter

  • The smallest bird in PA

  • Beat wings at 60 beats per second

  • The only bird that can fly backward

  • Field Observations:

-Attracted to red tubular flowers

* Cardinal flower, tiger lilies, and cleome are the hummingbird's favorite nectar

sources in my yard

*Neighbors report trumpet vine, and native wisteria are hummingbird magnets


Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Call

 

Dark-Eyed Junco

Left: Female, Right: Male


Profile

  • Diet includes seeds and insects. Attracted to cast off birdseed below the feeder. Rarely visits the feeder

  • Common winter bird migrates from Canada

  • Field Observations

-Surfaces weed seeds by double scratching soil with both feet

-Will visit feeders in large social groups


Dark-Eyed Junco Call

 

Mourning Dove

Left: Female, Right: Male


Profile

  • Ground feeder exclusively seeds. Rarely visits the feeder

  • Partial migratory-will fly south when food is scarce

  • Field Observations

-The preferred prey of hawks and owls

-Wings make a whistling sound at takeoff to ward off predators


Mourning Dove Call

 

Nuthatch

Left: Female, Center, Male, Right: Female


Profile

  • Diet includes insects, seeds, and suet. A frequent visitor to the feeder

  • Non-Migratory

  • An elongated hind claw allows the nuthatch to walk face down a tree trunk headfirst. This adaptation helps the nuthatch find insects, larvae, and insect eggs missed by upward climbers.

  • Field observation:

-Feeder behavior: Nuthatches chuck unwanted seed to the ground to find a sunflower seed. This habit provides ground foragers (junco, mourning dove) access to the birdseed.


Nuthatch Call

 

Tufted Titmouse

Males and Females feature the same coloring


Profile

  • Diet includes insects, seeds, and suet. A frequent visitor to the feeder

  • Non-Migratory

  • Field observations:

-Uses animal fur to line their nests

-Forages in the feeder for sunflower seeds


Tufted Titmouse Call

 

White-Throated Sparrow

Males and Females feature the same coloring


Profile

  • Diet includes insects andinsects, seeds. A frequent visitor to the feeder

  • Southern migration in winter

  • Field observation:

-Fall feeding includes mature seed heads of goldenrod and native wildflowers


White-Throated Sparrow Call

 

Downy Woodpecker

Left: Male, Right: Female

Profile

  • Diet includes insects, seeds, and suet. A frequent visitor to the feeder

  • Non-Migratory

  • Field observations:

  • Observations:

-Watch for characteristic two-legged hop up tree trunks

-Feeds on the eggs, larva, and adult pest species of native trees


 

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Left: Juvenile Male, Center: Adult Female, Right: Adult Male


Profile

  • Diet includes insects, seeds, and suet. A frequent visitor to the feeder

  • Non-Migratory

  • Field observations:

-Watch for characteristic two-legged hop up tree trunks

-Feeds on the eggs, larva, and adult pest species of native trees

-Clears area with warning "barks" before mounting the feeder


Red-Bellied Woodpecker Call

 

House Wren

Males and Females feature the same coloring

Profile

  • Diet includes insects, seeds, and suet. A frequent visitor to the feeder

  • Will nest in bluebird nest boxes

  • Non-Migratory

  • Field observations:

-Voracious insect hunters when raising young

-Both males and females feed young

-The most vocal of the songbirds. The male is known to sing 40 songs!



House Wren Call


 

The birds in this field guide are the most common visitors to my backyard. However, my "guest list" grows as my property becomes more habitat friendly each year. This season, I added several berry-bearing shrubs to attract more winter-feeding birds. As new guests arrive, I will update this blog.



 
  • All photographs were taken on our one-acre property in eastern PA.

  • Photographs by SuperNaturalist.net


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2 Comments


tcags
Oct 28, 2020

Surfasista, thanks for the feedback!


I will add blue jays to this list when I get some decent photos. They were more abundant this year due to a bumper crop of acorns in 2019. I have added berry-bearing shrubs (winterberry, beauty bush, red cedar, spicebush) to my yard to attract the other birds mentioned in your post. More to come!

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surfasista
Oct 28, 2020

Excellent article. The best photo identifications I have found in one place yet. I am in east central Florida and have seen several of the listed bird species in my yard and/or at my feeders and bath. House finches and Mourning Doves are the most abundant ones I have seen from this list. The next most common I would have to say is the Blue Jay (not pictured) There are also periods when I think the blackbirds (grackles and all) are taking over, but even when they are around, everyone seems to get a turn at the feeder. I just need to replenish it more, lol. I also have observed the Red Bellied woodpecker at my fee…

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