The American Goldfinch is a small yellow-and-black bird, and one of the most vibrant you will see in your yard. The male has striking bright-yellow plumage with a black cap, where the female has a duller yellow-brown color and no cap. In the winter, both sexes molt into an olive-brown color. The Goldfinch is a seed-eater who will readily come to your bird feeder…
The birds in my Decatur yard usually give me joy, but the other morning a couple of birds hanging out at the feeders made me wince. They were brown-headed cowbirds, which, during the nesting season, usually are up to no good. No other bird, perhaps, is loathed by birders as much as the brown-headed cowbird. That’s because it is a “brood parasite, ” which lays…
Swans, Ducks, Geese- Family Anatidae Trumpeter Swan female on a nest -Wikipedia- Trumpeter Swan Cygnus buccinator The majestic Trumpeter Swan is the largest of our native waterfowl and one of the heaviest flying birds in the world, with males sometimes exceeding 30 pounds. Historically hunted to the brink of extinction, it was recognized as an endangered species…
Sedum telephium goes to the top of the plants-I-should-grow list when it blooms this time of year, be it white or pink. The cultivar ‘Autumn Joy, ’ a related hybrid species, has flowers that turn a dark rosy pink before giving way to bronze. Flower stalks also fade to bronze and will remain on the plant throughout winter even after flowers have gone away. Evergreen…
