It never ceases to amaze me just how many birds I get right here in the middle of suburbia. I suppose I have the advantage of being in an established neighbourhood with lots of mature trees, and also right next to a park (even though that's mostly grass).
Still, I've tallied 35 species just in and around my yard. Which, considering that I can walk across my entire yard in three good-sized steps, isn't bad. Of those, Canada Goose and Red-tailed Hawk were just fly-overs (usually, anyway; a Red-tailed did land briefly in the tree just behind the house, and let me tell you those things are big up close). The species which are our usual customers are no surprise: Black-capped Chickadee, American Goldfinch, Northern Cardinal, Chipping Sparrow, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, both Nuthatches.... etc, etc.
It's the rest that make it really interesting. I love my resident featherheads, but it's always fun when something new shows up. I had an Orange-crowned Warbler make a very brief visit, just once. Then there was The Year Of The Pine Siskin and The Year Of The Redpoll (separate events), in which we were nearly eaten out of house and home by winter flocks. There have been the occasional White-crowned Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, and Purple Finch drop by during migration. And just this week, I heard an Eastern Wood-Pewee calling from somewhere in the subdivision; I figure it must have gotten lost on its way to the forest or something.
You really can find the most unexpected birds in the most unexpected places. :D
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