Summer Birds are quieter than in the springtime. First of all they haven’t just arrived back from a long winter vacation and looking to tell all of their friends about it. They also aren’t actively calling out trying to find a mate or impress females with their songs…

So yes, summer birds are quieter. It can be hot too, so birds lay low, hiding in the cooler leaves, not sitting out in the hot sun. With all of that said, it can be hard to find many birds around in the summer, but they are still there…

Putting out a water feature is a great way to attract them into your yard. Just make sure that the water moves so that you don’t get mosquitos. Also, birds do still come to bird feeders in the summer. I usually stop putting seed out during the summer months, but the birds still come to my empty feeders looking for seeds…

Yesterday I got a chance to go up to the mountains. It was great, it was at least 10 degrees cooler and I waded in a river (decided not to swim since the water was really really cold!)

It was nice to get away for the day. I didn’t take my binoculars or camera with me, but that didn’t stop me from seeing a few things.

When I sat down by the river, the first bird I heard was the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. They have a very distinctive whining pzzzzz call when they forage in the leaves. 

Next, a couple of Northern Cardinals flew by me while they were chasing each other…

And lastly, I saw 3 deer eating in the fields. It was a very nice day…

Remember to stay healthy and stay safe!