BUT the backyard is full of birds, lots of birds, though not as many species as we usually have in winter, or as many individuals in some species that have been numerous before (American Goldfinch, Lesser Goldfinch, etc.) No Pine Siskins in several years. What we do have is four pairs of Cardinals, a lot of house sparrows, a lot of White-winged Doves, at last two pairs of House Finches, one or two American Goldfinches, 4-6 Inca Doves, a few White Crowned Sparrows, one Savannah Sparrow, four Blue Jays, a Mockingbird heard early this morning but not out there feeding, a few Carolina Chickadees and Black-crested Titmice...and that's it. Week before last we had a Downy Woodpecker and a Red-bellied Woodpecker, but not this week. Last week we had a Phoebe, but not this week.
Of the winter residents, we have only the American Goldfinch, White-crowned Sparrow, and Savannah Sparrow. I saw some Harris's Sparrows earlier in the winter, but none in the last 2 weeks. They may be starting north earlier. No White-throated, no Field, no Chipping, no Lincoln's Sparrows, all of which we used to get every winter. Climate change. Birds are moving nowth, it's said, over 1 km/year. What used to be migrating bat populations in Central Texas are now here year-round.
