A Couple of May Birds

We spend a lot of time watching the birds.  We look for them when we are out on the trails.  We look for them at shopping centers and downtown.  And we are truly lucky to find plenty of them right at our house.

The banks along our street have shrubs that are home to several Eastern Towhees.  We hear them very early in the morning and throughout the day.  It is not uncommon to see one of them sitting on the mailbox post in front of our house.  In May, one of the males sits there and sings his "drink your tea" song loudly.

He is so lovely in the bright sunshine

He looks a bit angry as he begins his song.

But it is a sweet song indeed.

We have known for a couple of weeks that the Red-bellied Woodpecker's eggs had hatched.  The adults would gorge themselves at the suet and then fly off with a mouth full deeper into the woods. We are also certain a Pileated Woodpecker pair, and a Downy Woodpecker pair have nestlings as well and wondered which would see first.  Turns out it is the Red-Bellied.  While Red-bellied Woodpeckers have a small streak of red on their lower breast, they have more marked red on their heads.  The juveniles lack the red.  Their heads are gray, perhaps as a safety feature.

Fat little Red-bellied Woodpecker waiting for food

The parent (in this case the male) goes to the suet and comes back to feed the young one.

It is not obvious from this angle that the red on the head is unbroken, but it is.

Both parents feed the young.

This  is such an exciting time for new growth and new birth.  Which brings me to a little secret.  No, I can't tell you yet.  I just said it's a secret.

But here is a little hint:

"Sweet violets, sweeter than the roses"
Photograph from Pinterest