May 22nd - 31st Birds

It's another week of lots of birds at Asylum lake. There are many different species in fields and woods. Some eating, some building nests, others still looking for mates. A visitor I don't usually see too often is the Indigo Bunting. It's a lovely bird in the cardinal family. 

What a beautiful bird! I can see similarities in the size and shape of the Indigo Bunting compared to the Northern Cardinal 

Another bright, colourful summer visitor is the Baltimore Oriole. I began seeing them again - this season - just before I left, but I never tire of seeing them. They are so easy to spot!

These are both males. The females are more lighter yellow in colour. 

On my last bird post I made note of all the woodpeckers I had seen in the woods and how there are a lot of them. This week I saw one of the Pileated Woodpeckers that live in the woods. These have to be my favourite woodpecker. I love listening to their loud calls - so loud when you are close by. They are on the larger size. 

Pileated Woodpeckers live in the woods all year round. 

Some Robins live in Michigan all year round, some migrate. This one is busy picking up thin sticks to build a nest. 

I did manage to see a robin sitting on a nest too. How exciting that babies should be coming shortly!

Interesting fact about the next bird. Brown-headed Cowbirds. 

They are brood parasites. They lay their eggs in nests of other birds, destroying the original eggs. 

Some more woodland birds I saw this week

Eastern Wood-peewee

Goldfinch

Kingbird

Swainson's Thrush

Song Sparrow

Tree Swallow

Grey Catbird

Field Sparrow

Brown Thrasher

And my not-so-favourite - a male turkey strutting around the field