Winter Birds

Our bird feeders here at Thorpe Park have been very busy this winter. Unfortunately, we haven't had any unusual birds, like we did several winters ago when we were surprised by a pair of Red Crossbills! But, much of Iowa has enjoyed a wonderfully large number of Redpolls this year and, although we haven't seen any yet here at the park, we did see some at our house.

As I said, our park feeders have been quite busy. We have seen many Blue Jays, Cardinals, Chickadees, Goldfinches, White and Red-Breasted Nuthatches, Downy Woodpeckers, Tree Sparrows, and Juncos, along with an occasional Hairy Woodpecker, Purple Finch, and Red-Bellied Woodpecker. We've also seen a few Cedar Waxwings feeding on frozen crabapples in the tree in front of our office. And, I heard the first sound of Spring the other day--a Chickadee singing its mating song! It's amazing that they know Spring is on its way when the temps are barely above zero!