Guess It Is Lunch Time At The Hobbit House

So it seems that this guy has put the Hobbit House birdfeeder on the route for his weekly if not daily forays. The other day, I was washing dishes and I heard the distinct sound of a bird hitting the glass in the french doors on the back porch. I cringed a bit, but hoped it wasn't a hard hit and that there would be no casualties. I finished up what I was doing and then peeked around the corner, so if there was a stunned bird there, I wouldn't scare it. What I found was this hawk sitting on my welcome mat, not 14 inches from the door with a small "victim" in his clutches. As soon as he saw me, he flew off...with the "victim" for lunch.

Yesterday, I was coming around the corner of the house from running errands, and I saw him fleeing the scene (fortunately with no "victims"). I have noticed over the last couple of days that the birdfeeder is not being depleted as fast as usual and I have to wonder if my unwelcome guest is scarying off the little guys. Boo!

New Bird At The Hobbit House

I don't usually get the opportunity to see a completely new bird, but this weekend, I did. I have never seen a Varied Thrush before and when I saw him on the ground below the feeder, I had to do a double take...then I grabbed the camcorder and tried to get some snap shots of him...this one is not perfect but it was good enough for me to identify him. Click on the link to his name to see images that other internet sources have of him.

Apparently the Varied Thrush is related to the American Robin...similar in size for sure...but I loved the colors that were completely new to me. I have seen a few Robins out and about as well but they aren't in full color yet and this guy was so vibrant. I don't know if this means that the Varied Thrush has an earlier breeding season than the Robin or not.

Regardless, I thought it was pretty cool to see a new bird out there...hopefully he'll come back some more and I can get some better shots.