Mountain Birds

I received an email from Marti yesterday with a suggestion for treating birds stunned by flying into windows. She sez:

Put them in brown paper bag, or a small box, or something that they can sit in while they get their wits about them. Just leave it there open on the deck so they can hop out and get on with business when they're ready. They are already traumatized; but being in the bag or box minimizes the additional trauma of being so vulnerable sitting there on the ground out in the open.

Sounds like a good idea.

Marti also asked if we have blue buntings here on the mountain. Not to my recollection. But, here's a list of the birds that I have seen and am able to identify:

Among the game birds are wild turkeys and ruffed grouse.

For handling carrion we have turkey vultures (buzzard), screech owls, crow and ravens.

The raptors are represented by red-tailed hawks.

Songbirds include meadowlarks, wood thrushes, eastern bluebirds, tufted titmouse, American goldfinches, dark-eyed junco, ruby-throated hummingbirds, American robin, woodpeckers and northern parula.

The goldfinches are attracted to the thistles found in open fields hereabout. The northern parula build their nests in the lichen found in abundance on the rock ledges. The junco are first to arrive in spring and love to nest in our junipers by the walkway. We have bluebird houses but no takers to date.

There may be others that I've not paid enough attention to notice.