That Daring Young Squirrel

Eastern gray (grey) squirrel

He'd fly through the air with the greatest of ease,

That daring young man on the flying trapeze

(and then he would eat all the sunflower seeds in the feeder and dump the rest out on the ground when he jumped back to the tree - if he wasn't so cute I'd be really annoyed)

 

The eastern gray squirrel or grey squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis, is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus.

·         Scientific name: Sciurus carolinensis

·         Gestation period: 44 d

·         Mass: 0.4 – 0.6 kg (Adult)

·         Rank: Species

·         Tail length: 19 – 25 cm (Adult)

·         Higher classification: Sciurus

·         Body length: 23 – 30 cm (Adult, Head and body)

- Wikipedia

 

Grabbing A Snack

This female northern cardinal landed on the feeder right after the squirrel had dumped all the seeds out it it. She managed to find one and the sunlight hit it just as I snapped the photo.

The Northern Cardinal is a North American bird in the genus Cardinalis; it is also known colloquially as the redbird or common cardinal.

·         Scientific name: Cardinalis cardinalis

·         Symbol of: Illinois

·         Rank: Species

·         Higher classification: Cardinalis

-Wikipedia

 

New Visitor

 

This little fellow showed up in the yard Sunday and, to the best of my identification skills, I've decided he is an Eastern Phoebe, a member of the flycatcher family. So far I've only seen the one but migration season is starting so I'll keep a lookout for more. 

According to the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Birds, a phoebe was "probably the first bird ever banded: Audubon marked one with a silver wire on the leg in 1840 and recorded its return the following year." 

 

 

The Eastern Phoebe is a small passerine bird. This tyrant flycatcher breeds in eastern North America, although its normal range does not include the southeastern coastal United States. 

·         Scientific name: Sayornis phoebe

·         Rank: Species

·         Higher classification: Phoebe

-Wikipedia