Tracy

#1 - I have always found birds fascinating - beautiful, entertaining to watch and so important to our planet. I absolutely love walking the dog in spring and summer and listening to all the birds calls, trying to figure out who's singing. #2 - We've always had a bird-feeder and birdbath, but now I am inspired to add more variety to try and attract some different species. While we have quite a few native trees/shrubs/perennials, I am keen to add even more. Still have an issue with a big bay window which is a problem at certain times of the year - will look into what I can do about that. #3 - When we first moved to this area about 30 years ago, I remember seeing Baltimore Orioles and Grosbeaks, but they haven't been in our yard for years. Planning to offer more variety in feeders to see if we can attract them back. On a positive note, I noticed way more hummingbirds last summer as my collection of flowering plants has grown. #4 - So far, I've mostly been birdwatching in my own yard. Now I'm keen to try and get to other spots and expand the number of birds on my little list. eBird is great for letting me know nearby hotspots and sightings to get me started on that journey.

For Activity #2 - our backyard feeder this week hosted woodpeckers (hairy and downy), chickadees, a white-breasted nuthatch, and a female northern cardinal, and the crows were flying between the neighbourhood trees. I think that covers 3-4 groups. For  Activity #3, I think my favourite of these is the nuthatch as it only shows up once in a while so it seems special - love watching it going headfirst down the tree trunk. But a close second are the woodpeckers with their distinctive colouring - and I've learned to tell the two types apart!