My small Phoenix backyard is in many ways an extension of my home. Its patio provides extra space to relax with a book or entertain friends with a cocktail. A gas-flamed grill lets me cook authentic paella and roast Hatch chili peppers when they appear in the local markets late in the summer. And the garden space guarantees that a cornucopia of succulents and trees will nourish my love of nature and gardening.
Further on this latter point, my yard also feeds many of my neighborhood's birds. And I'm thrilled that it's a place that a pair of northern cardinals continues to regularly visit. As showy as they are in their size and color, and as vocal as they are with their frequent songs and alerts, it's often the fluttering sound they make when they fly that alerts me to their presence in the area. Only the flapping wings of a mourning dove taking flight seems noisier.
In addition, squawking Gila woodpeckers, trilling white-crowned sparrows and crooning mockingbirds are just a few of the melody makers filling my backyard playlist. But some of the most beautiful birds, like the Anna's hummingbird, might be identified more frequently by the whirr or buzz of their rapid wingbeats than by their unpleasant and rapid squeaky vocalizations.
While the attractive northern cardinal sings wonderfully, its tunes don't compete against the more varied songs of a curved-bill thrasher. But I can hear the cardinal fleeing or arriving by its fast thump-a-thump-a-thump-a patter as it flies from tree to wall to ground and back. And it's always rewarding when I look up and spot the scarlet male or the buff female with their bright orange beaks in my palo verde or lysiloma tree. It's a colorful reminder that my garden is not just an extension of my home, but is also that of my neighborhood's wildlife.
Further on this latter point, my yard also feeds many of my neighborhood's birds. And I'm thrilled that it's a place that a pair of northern cardinals continues to regularly visit. As showy as they are in their size and color, and as vocal as they are with their frequent songs and alerts, it's often the fluttering sound they make when they fly that alerts me to their presence in the area. Only the flapping wings of a mourning dove taking flight seems noisier.
In addition, squawking Gila woodpeckers, trilling white-crowned sparrows and crooning mockingbirds are just a few of the melody makers filling my backyard playlist. But some of the most beautiful birds, like the Anna's hummingbird, might be identified more frequently by the whirr or buzz of their rapid wingbeats than by their unpleasant and rapid squeaky vocalizations.
While the attractive northern cardinal sings wonderfully, its tunes don't compete against the more varied songs of a curved-bill thrasher. But I can hear the cardinal fleeing or arriving by its fast thump-a-thump-a-thump-a patter as it flies from tree to wall to ground and back. And it's always rewarding when I look up and spot the scarlet male or the buff female with their bright orange beaks in my palo verde or lysiloma tree. It's a colorful reminder that my garden is not just an extension of my home, but is also that of my neighborhood's wildlife.
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| Male northern cardinal in my backyard. |
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| Male northern cardinal in my backyard. |
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| Female northern cardinal in my backyard. |
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| Female northern cardinal in my backyard. |
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