One of my favorite things to do on the farm, after growing plants, is watching birds. Every time I see a bird using the farm, especially a feature that I built for them like a pond, birdbath or perch, it makes all that work worthwhile.
We’ve recorded 54 species of birds on the farm since 2020. Here they are, in taxonomic order. * indicates a bird we’ve spotted this year (29 and counting).
- Canada Goose *
- Mallard
- Band-tailed Pigeon *
- Eurasian Collared-Dove
- Anna’s Hummingbird
- Rufous Hummingbird
- Killdeer
- Pelagic Cormorant
- Great Blue Heron
- Turkey Vulture *
- Osprey
- Northern Harrier *
- Bald Eagle *
- Red-shouldered Hawk
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Red-breasted Sapsucker
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Pileated Woodpecker
- Northern Flicker *
- American Kestrel *
- Western Flycatcher
- Black Phoebe
- Warbling Vireo
- Canada Jay *
- Steller’s Jay *
- American Crow *
- Common Raven *
- Black-capped Chickadee *
- Chestnut-backed Chickadee *
- Tree Swallow *
- Violet-green Swallow *
- Barn Swallow *
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet *
- Golden-crowned Kinglet *
- Pacific Wren *
- Bewick’s Wren
- European Starling *
- Varied Thrush
- Swainson’s Thrush *
- Hermit Thrush
- American Robin *
- Pine Siskin *
- American Goldfinch *
- Fox Sparrow *
- Dark-eyed Junco *
- White-crowned Sparrow
- Song Sparrow *
- Spotted Towhee *
- Brewer’s Blackbird
- Orange-crowned Warbler
- Common Yellowthroat
- Wilson’s Warbler *
- Western Tanager
- Black-headed Grosbeak
Note: We use the ABA common names for these birds, because they are the most universally used names. But several of these species are named for people, particularly early American colonist scientists. We believe, along with a lot of other birders, that no bird should be named after a person, and hope that the ABA will follow through on their plan to give these species more descriptive names. #BirdNamesForBirds