Birds

This weekend is the Great Backyard Bird Count, and I've been keeping track of the birds at my feeders in my yard. Many birds winter in Iowa, and I've seen several of them at my feeder: cardinals and blue jays; downy, hairy, and yellow-bellied woodpeckers; slate-sided juncos, tree sparrows, and house sparrows; goldfinches and house finches; chickadees and titmice; nuthatches; doves and starlings. Many of these were around over the last day or two.

There are other birds that don't come to the feeders but we see with greater or less frequency. There are lots of Canada Geese who don't have sense enough to fly south, there are wild turkeys who keep mostly to the deeper woods, and there was a pileated woodpecker who came by one day a couple of months ago. For years I'd been trying to see one, and it just flies to a tree in my yard that has some damage up high and digs for bugs for a half hour. Go figure.


And there are eagles, great wonderful bald eagles, who come to the few spots on the Iowa River that are ice-free all winter. These beautiful birds are commonplace to those who grew up near rivers in the upper midwest, but not to me. I always get a rush seeing one flying over our house or along a river. The photo shows a group of eagles along a winter river; it's an NPR shot, not mine, though we sometimes do see groups like this on the Iowa River. The best viewing in Coralville is probably from the Iowa River Power Co. restaurant. Although I can see eagles from the road or from a viewing point, it's nice to be warm, indoors, and having a good lunch while I'm enjoying seeing them.