Backyard Birds 2024

Red-tailed Hawk

It's not a secret, I love birding. I submit checklists to eBird, I go on special trips just to see birds, I take photos of birds, and we have a backyard birdlist so I can try and get the family more involved. That's what I'm going to talk about today. Our 2023 backyard bird list wasn't so hot, we had had over 50 birds the previous two years (thanks, Covid), but in 2023 we didn't notice as many. So I started 2024 with a resolution--I was going to spend more time in my very own yard looking for birds!

Some birds are really easy to find, but others can be trickier, like the kestrel. It hung out for a few weeks but has unfortunately left. For a few years we had kestrels nesting in the yard, and I keep hoping they'll come back.

American kestrel

We have more non-native birds than I would like. Those include the Eurasian collared-doves, House sparrows, and European starlings. 

Eurasian collared-dove

I have to admit, I like birds so much I have some of my own. Currently we have 6 chickens. We had been down to four chickens last fall. Then the neighbor's disappeared and showed up a few days later. I asked our neighbors if they were okay with their hen hanging out with ours, and they were glad she had found some company. And then another chicken appeared. I asked people around town if they were missing a chicken. They said no. Was this a drive-by chicken dropping off event? Someone who just couldn't stand their lone chicken anymore, so they drove way out to the Great Basin desert and dumped it? Probably not. But we still don't know where she came from. And she's not telling.

Two of my chickens- A Buff Orpington and a Polish

Sometimes a very special bird comes, like a Prairie Falcon. I usually dance excitedly around the house getting my long lens for my camera, even though I really should be quiet so I don't scare the bird away.

Prairie Falcon

And because this is my blog and I can do what I want with it, here's our 2024 list to date. We are at 39 birds, with the 39th seen today!

1. Great Horned Owl 1.1.24 (more on them below)

2. Pinyon Jay 1.1.24

3. House Sparrow 1.1.24

4. Eurasian Collared Dove 1.1.24

5. European Starling 1.1.24

6. Northern Flicker 1.1.24

7. White-crowned Sparrow 1.1.24 (I love their songs and they hang out in the bushes!)

8. Red-tailed Hawk 1.1.24 (nests nearby)

9. American Robin 1.2.24

10. Dark-eyed Junco 1.7.24

11. Spotted Towhee 1.7.24 (in the bushes right out the living room window)

12. Black-billed Magpie 1.8.24

13. Common Raven 1.8.24

14. Northern Harrier 1.8.24

15. Western Meadowlark 1.8.24 (I saw so many hanging out together this winter!)

16. American Kestrel 1.8.24

17. Mallard 1.13.24

18. Canada Goose 1.13.24

19. American Goldfinch 1.14.24

20. Bald Eagle 1.15.24

21. Prairie Falcon 1.16.24

22. Red-winged Blackbird 2.27.24

23. Sandhill Crane 3.6.24 (it's so nice when they come back!)

24. Killdeer 3.7.24

25. Brewer's Blackbird 3.13.24

26. Turkey Vulture 3.21.24

27. Cooper's Hawk 4.1.24

28. Yellow-rumped Warbler 4.12.24

29. Pine Siskin 4.12.24

30. Lesser Goldfinch 4.28.24

31. Western Kingbird 4.24.24 (my, they are noisy!)

32. Barn Swallow 4.29.24 (they nest on the house)

33. Lazuli Bunting 4.30.24 (so pretty)

34. Great Blue Heron 4.27.24 (Desert Boy saw)

35. Yellow Warbler 4.30.24

36. Osprey 5.4.24 (my husband saw)

37. Black-headed Grosbeak 5.8.24

Wait, I said we were up to 39 birds, and I only listed 37 birds. Well, it turns out it was good I went through the list because I had two double-listed. Oh well, we'll keep looking!

Although finding different bird species is so much fun, sometimes the best thing is to just watch what certain birds do. That's the case with the backyard owls. We've had Great Horned Owls nest in the yard for the past several years. They pair up and start hooting a lot in the yard in November.

Pair of owls in catalpa tree.

Then in February, Mama Owl moves into the nest, which is n the crotch of a tree. She lays the eggs and incubates them, rain or snow.

Mama Owl on the nest

She'll leave the nest for short periods of time to find food. And now I see her out of the nest quite a bit because she wants more space.

Why does she want more space? Because her baby owlets are getting so big! They are so fun to watch.

I hope you have a space near your home where you can enjoy watching birds. What birds do you enjoy the most?