Pretty Spring Birds

It's been a busy spring! Unfortunately, I have had little time to venture out for bird viewing. During my few excursions, I was able to catch sight of many common spring visitors. This post features several beautiful birds recently seen in the city of Chicago and at our Indiana country property.

A resplendent male Wood Duck enjoys a dip in North Pond

 ~ The peach orchard fence makes for a perfect insect hunting perch for this male Eastern Bluebird  ~
I'm thrilled to report that this bluebird and his mate currently have eggs in one of our property nest boxes

~ A handsome Brown Thrasher forages amid the ground  cover ~ 
I most often hear these birds rustling through fallen crunchy leaves before I am able to spot them. On this day, I was lucky to see at least twelve Brown Thrashers.

Flushed from the grass, a stunning Le Conte's Sparrow sits atop a fallen tree limb ~ A life bird for me!

Beauty among the wildflowers ~ Hermit Thrush

Quite the leggy catch for this lovely Dark-eyed Junco

~ This House Finch pair was especially vocal up in the trees before they stopped by for a sunflower snack ~ 
The cheerful twittering song of these birds is quite pleasing to the ears

A friendly Black-capped Chickadees sits upon a perch above one of our bird baths

A hungry Fox Sparrow feeds in the grass

~ A radiant redhead ~ Red-bellied Woodpecker  ~
Their noisy vocalizations are often heard on our beautiful Indiana property

~ One of many female Northern Cardinals seen on my birding excursion ~ 
The Northern Cardinal is the most popular state bird. Seven states have adopted this bird, Illinois and Indiana are included

~  A Northern Flicker seeks tasty tidbits in the grass ~ 
Ants and beetles are the insects of choice for this bird