Birdfeeders

Do you remember the first birds that caught your interest? I have always loved hummingbirds and had hummingbird feeders in the yard, but it was only a few years ago that I watched finches zipping around the back yard and wondered what they were and how I could attract them more often. It took very little research to discover they were goldfinches and house finches and I could keep them around the yard for most of the year if I had a thistle feeder. And so it began. My thistle feeder became so popular that I tried adding a birdbath and what a joy that was! The finches loved it. Of course, as time went on, more and more bird feeders have been added to the yard, identification books now are permanently near the windows, as are binoculars. One of the first lessons I needed to learn was the difference between a family of birds and a species of birds. A species of birds is a specific group of individuals that have similar appearance, behavior and vocalizations and breed together to produce young. A family of birds is made up of similar species that do not interbreed. For example, gold finches are a species that is part of the finch family, as are house finches and purple finches.