Wildbeaks Blog Top 5 Favorite Birds to Watch

When it comes to our favorite birds to watch, it was hard to whittle the list down to only five! It is no fun to leave any one species on the sideline but they will have to wait for another post. Below you will find a list of birds that we find to be fascinating to watch.Cardinal -Two things that we absolutely love about Cardinals is their song, making any morning an enjoyable one, and the vibrant bright red color of the male. This non-migratory bird can be found in your backyard all year long once you attract them by leaving plenty of sunflower and safflower seeds in your bird feeder. Male Cardinals are easiest to spot with their outstanding red coats, while the females are a bit trickier to see since they are predominantly brown with a slight hint of red on their wings. You can normally find these winged friends in the bushes or other low shrubbery close to the ground. They normally travel and forage in pairs. If you are lucky enough you can spot two at once! Their breeding season is March to August, depending upon your location. They make their nest in shrubs or trees using wood stems, twigs, bark, grasses and leaves. Their eggs are Gray-Buff with Brown Specks, about 3-4 eggs at a time, and can have 1 to 3 broods a year. Their favorite foods are black sunflower seeds, hulled sunflower seeds, and safflower seeds.Black-Capped Chickadee - These cute little guys are often the first to the bird feeder since they have a heightened curiosity and an investigative nature to explore their territory thoroughly. It's that personality that lands them so high on our list. They are very comfortable around people, and have even been known to be bold enough to feed right out of your hand! Their favorite seeds are sunflower (any type), hulled peanuts and suet. Black-Caps take one seed at a time, and much like a squirrel the Black-Capped Chickadee is known to hide seeds and other food in a variety of places. Unlike a squirrel the Chickadee can remember 100's of hiding places! Their coloring is very distinctive with a black cap and bib, white cheeks and a light gray covering the rest of their .3-.5 oz bodies.Eastern Bluebirds - Even though this species is not known for visiting your usual bird feeders, they will visit mealworm feeders. They LOVE mealworms, which come live or freeze-dried. Bluebirds are cavity nesters, but since much of the natural cavities have disappeared, the Bluebird relies upon nesting boxes erected by us birders. Nesting boxes should be built in accordance with North American Bluebird Society's recommended dimensions. Usually the manufacturer of Bluebird Nesting Boxes (houses) will state their house is in conformance with NABS standards. Bluebirds prefer "open areas" for nesting so if your yard is heavily wooded, you may not be able to attract them. This Eastern Bluebird features a deep blue hue on their head and top feathers offset by an auburn breast. They consume a variety of insects such as beetles or grasshoppers and fruit like blueberries or juniper berries. This species made our list because of their scarcity and their beauty.Hummingbirds- Who doesn't love this fast and furious bird? Despite their record speed they have control unlike anything we've ever seen, with the ability to zoom up to a desired spot with incredible speed, and then screech to a halt and hover instantly when extracting nectar from a feeder or flower. It is best for you as a birder to set a specific hummingbird feeder out with a one-quarter cup of sugar to one cup of water mix (1:4). After setting out a feeder these brightly colored green and red winged speedsters will be in your yard soon!American Goldfinch- These vivaciously yellow winged friends are always in motion with a bouncy cadence to their flight, and don't mind swaying on bird feeders that contain Nyjer seed, their favorite food. This finch is the only finch that will eat upside down! There are upside-down finch feeders that cater solely to the American Goldfinch, so if that is the only finch you want to attract, an upside-down feeder will fit the bill. Known to call during flight these friends are most notable for having a fun, acrobatic, and active lifestyle, but prefer a nice, quiet, isolated spot for feeding.As we mentioned before this is not a complete list of all the birds that we enjoy watching. If we had the chance that could go on for pages! Join the birding community over at Wildbeaks.com and supply your backyard with the feeders and feed to attract any species of bird that you would like to enjoy. For the comment section below, we ask, what is your favorite species of bird? Happy Birding!