Cedar Waxwing

Lorna was in the kitchen preparing Thanksgiving dinner when she called out “Hey Henry, there’s a bunch of birds in the front of the house. You might want to check it out.” She was right!

Even though all my camera gear was packed (we leave for a trip to Sanibel tomorrow) I quickly pulled out my camera and took a few shots. Cedar Waxwings were on my wish list for this winter so I was delighted to have them pose for me. The thing that pulled them in was the crabapples.

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Northern Goshawk,  Accipiter gentilis

Justin Robertson brought Kitty to the PGT this morning to fly her. Justin is a falconer and Kitty is one of his birds. Justin is working with us at the PGT this winter to help with some forestry projects.

Northern Goshawks are rarely found in Missouri. The closely related Coopers Hawk is much more common; they nested in the pines by our house this year.

Dark-eyed Junco, Junco hyemalis

Junco’s are the most common winter sparrow here. I photographed this one today under a plum thicket by the barn. To help draw them in I tossed out a little cracked corn. They immediately showed up and started scratching at the ground to uncover more food.

Fox Sparrow, Passerella iliaca

I found this large dark sparrow today in a dense thicket of Silky Dogwood with many dried native wildflowers mixed in. I could see how it got it’s name with those rich red-brown colors.

Sometimes we see Fox Sparrows under our feeder in the winter. Like the Eastern Towhee they will kick back leaves on the ground to uncover seeds and bugs.

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