Birds in my Garden

We are getting a very slight thaw here in Western New York and with the slow move toward spring comes the return of many birds! As I was walking this morning, I heard clusters of little birds in bushes along my route and it sounded like spring! In my garden, I try to do whatever I can to attract birds. How and where I hang my feeders, what I fill my feeders with, what plants are near my feeders so that birds feel safe and have a place to rest while waiting for their turn at the feeder, having a clean and water filled bird bath, not using pesticides and choosing plants that act as a food source for birds are all birding goals in my garden. I wish I was better at identifying birds and do try to use my Peterson's North America guide, but I'm not very successful. What I do know is that I enjoy seeing birds flocking to my gardens, chasing each other from the feeders and bird baths and just resting in some of the landscape plants near the feeding stations. A new resource I've found is Cornell University's Ornithology web site. Check out the web site at www.birds.cornell.edu. More birding thoughts and ideas to follow.