First week of May: cool, cloudy, damp

 But the birds are here anyway.




Several Pine Siskins arrived early in the week.

 There are at least two Harris's Sparrows, at least that's all I've seen at one time.

 A Lincoln's Sparrow

 A musical gathering of White-throated Sparrows:

 I could almost say a musical gathering of Common Grackles, too, but somehow their songs are just short of musical, making it more into the noisy category, along with my other most common visitor, the House Sparrow. There is sometimes a Red-winged Blackbird with the Grackles, though, which definitely raises the tone.

A small flock of White-crowned Sparrows. They've been scratching in the lawn so much, I can't help wondering if they are eating the grass seed I spread in an attempt to fill in some of the dead patches.

 

 And always a cheerful American Robin. My favourite this week was hopping busily around the lawn, apparently oblivious to a cat creeping up on him, but always several feet away. Eventually he just lifted his wings and flew and the cat gave up and wandered away.