Bird watching for me starts in spring when plants and animals emerge from their sleep.  The first cue is when spring blossoms sprout overnight with burst of color and fragrance.  Insects emerge from their slumber and abound in number around the spring blossoms to become food for the birds.  Today, I found the buds of greens on the trees, petals of flowers on the ground, and heard the chirping of the birds.  It is time for bird watching in my backyard.

Birds are present in my backyard all year round to forage for food.  I have never paid attention to them until a year or two ago when their numbers gradually increased.  My backyard, I imagine, is a pit stop for birds before they fly off somewhere.  Some birds, like grackles, hang around all the time on rooftops and announce their presence with their peculiar call.  Mourning Doves return each year and arrive in early spring to scout for a nesting place.  They had successfully raised chicks to maturity in my backyard for two consecutive years.

Birds of different varieties is the norm for this year.  They display different colors and shades of plumage and it makes them attractive.  I am not an avid bird watcher and I cannot name the different species of birds that forage in my backyard.  The presence of birds though, with different colors and shades of plumage, has certainly caught my attention!

I have tried to name the birds in the photographs but the task is gargantuan!  My favorite lens, the nikkor 70-200 mm, came in very handy with the long distance shots.  Even with the telephoto capability, I still had to camouflage myself to get a closer shot. 

Apparently, my readings has taught me that the migration of birds for this area follows the Neartic-Neotropical pattern.  The Neartic-Neotropical area includes parts north of Canada and deep south to South America.  The list of birds that follow this pattern is extensive.

Bird watching in Texas is a serious hobby.  There are 19 wildlife refuges, 13 national parks, and 654,929 acreage that support the hobby of bird watching.  Texas also has the most popular bird watching sites.

I have come across information that the hummingbirds are coming!  The few days that I have been watching the birds forage in my backyard has fueled my attention and imagination.  I plan to prepare for the arrival of the hummingbirds.  This might be a good opportunity for me to see and take photographs of the hummingbirds without having to go far.

Do you enjoy bird watching?