The Birds of Summer

It begins with the first distinctive call of the sandhill cranes in the slough in March, and the observation of a new arrival every few days continues throughout Spring. For the next couple of months, we’ll hear the delightful cacophony of birdsongs from first light until the sun sets. I would have loved to talk about our parade of bird arrivals before now, but since it is easier for me to photograph plants than birds, you had to wait for a visit from a guest photographer! Thanks to a visit from Gordon, I can now share a few of the “birds of summer” with you.

My first set is the “domestic partners”. These are the insectivorous friends that come back every year and actually live under my roof. The first one back was our friendly Eastern Phoebe. They build a nest under the shelter of the eaves and then perch proudly on the rail throughout the summer. Such a handsome little bird. Then there are the barn swallows. We have a pact; I will let them nest under the far end of the deck of the house in exchange for their voracious appetite for insects and their aerobatic antics. They come perch near me and express their gratitude in a lovely outburst of song. Either that or they’re cursing at me; I can’t tell which. And then there are the house wrens. They are happy to occupy all the wren houses placed around the homestead. They’ll serenade us with their distinctive song and chatter all summer long. All three of these birds seem to seek out habitation near humans.

My second set is the some of the colorful friends from the trees and bushes. We were delighted to see the Baltimore Orioles return a couple of weeks ago. They are happy to hang out in the canopies of the trees eating insects and flowers, but we lure them in closer with orange slices so that we can see more of them! The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks quite enjoy the sunflower seeds at the feeder out front, but I also see many of them throughout the woods, so I think perhaps they don’t really need my free snacks. Often when I stop to listen for birds, I hear the American Redstarts. Less often, I catch a glimpse. Yellow Warblers are those brilliant flashes of gold among the leaves; such cute little creatures. Catbirds are very common at Iowisota; I think they’re my competition for the gooseberries and blackcaps as the summer progresses, but fortunately there should be enough berries to go around. They’re a handsome bird; Gordon caught this photo as they were enjoying last year’s sumac berries. And lastly, a Red-Headed Woodpecker has been around all winter at the feeder, always alone. I hope he/she has a mate, because we would like to see more of them!

All of these “birds of summer” were photographed by Gordon Dietzman at Iowisota last weekend. He shared the images with me so that I could share them with you! (Thank you, Gordon!) You can check out more of his fantastic nature photography at https://gordondietzman.zenfolio.com/

May has already been busy at Iowisota; we welcomed guests for Samuel Thayer’s Spring workshop, shared a woodland hike with a homeschool cooperative, enjoyed a weekend with “camping friends”, and hosted the May meeting of the new Upper Mississippi chapter of the Isaac Walton League. This weekend we’ll have a Kordiall-making workshop with Dwight Zietlow. Then we’ll take a pause, regroup, and hopefully get some other activities onto the schedule. As I write this, there are only two spots left in Samuel Thayer’s July Prairie workshop.

Life happens fast. The progression of birds has been amazing these past few weeks, and the progression of wildflowers has been too. Each stage of Spring is quickly fleeting as we rush into summer. Get out there and enjoy each bit before it passes!