The winter birds are home for the season

This is turning out to be a good year for bird watching in my urban garden.  So far this winter we had Painted bunting, Cardinals, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Gray Catbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler and hummingbirds visit the back garden.  I make sure that there is plenty of food and water available for my aviary friends, the dense trees and bushes around the garden are also popular hiding places for the small birds.

South Florida in the winter is a great place for birding; we are the final destination for many migratory birds and a pit stop for those flying on to the Caribbean, Central and South America.  These days I spend more time out with my binoculars that I do working in the garden.  

The bill for bird food  is high this time of the year, besides the new visitors; we also have many year around residents, like doves, Blue jays, Mockingbirds and House Sparrows.