Yardbird # 31 - Chipping Sparrow

Another day with several good choices, but I decided to go with the chipping sparrow today because there were two of them acting utterly adorable.  Last summer, a pair nested somewhere on or around our property and I'm hopeful we'll have the same this year.  These small, long-tailed sparrows are common throughout the United States and their trilling song can be heard all summer.  I think they are very cute with their little rufous caps and their jaunty eye line - they are also polite at the feeders, perhaps in part because of their small size.

Monsieur and Madame were both around for much of the day with her doing some additions to the nest box (although it is far from ready for eggs at this point!)  At one point, I saw Monsieur bring back two tasty treats in the space of less than 10 minutes - a big moth and a juicy grub/worm of some sort - all picked from the edge of the woods.  He brought both of his prizes back and proudly showed them off before swallowing them whole.  No offers to share with Madame, but I guess he wanted her to know that he's going to be a capable provider.  No signs of the second female, so I guess she decided a polygamous relationship wasn't for her.  Two pics of Monsieur, with his goodies, on Flickr:
Moths - yum!
Good grub!

A chipmunk ventured to the patio while I was out today - that's a good sign!  And Scamper the squirrel is now a regular visitor to the deck-railing sunflower feeder.  I don't begrudge her since I know she's feeding babies right now.  Plenty to go around at the Bistro - except for the bears.  We don't welcome their kind here.  Ha.

Supposed to rain most of the day tomorrow which means that the Tinies will probably get to come out and play...unless something distracts me.  They've begged me to send a contingent to FL for the upcoming Blip Bash.  I told them if they're good, I'll consider it...They are, after all, tiny and they don't eat much...

Hubs is in the beginning stages of due diligence on a potential business start up - all kind of exciting although it's too soon to count on anything yet.  Fingers crossed.  

All else in our world is calm at the moment.  

Thank you so much for continuing to scatter stars and hearts on my Cardinals in snow.  I'm very flattered especially considering that I wasn't thinking it was all that good technically. 

TTFN,
Debbi