While I’ve put out bird feeders in the past, this spring, I went a bit crazy. Not only did I make a bird feeder out of an antique Coca-Cola bottle, I purchased several bird feeders (including a hummingbird feeder) and suet cages.

When I found myself rolling a cart full of discount suet cakes down an aisle in Marden’s, I realized that I’d become some sort of crazy bird lady.

But I can’t help it! It’s so much fun to watch the different birds that visit our backyard. Every time a new bird shows up, I try to identify it. I learn what it likes to eat and what it throws on the ground. I discover how shy or bold it is. It’s a great opportunity to watch wildlife. And since we live in the middle of town, there aren’t a lot of critters to mess with our bird feeders (aside from the abnormally large gray squirrels that our dog Oreo loves to chase).

While I don’t always have my camera on me when I watch the birds, I’ve tried to take photos throughout the spring and summer to share on my blog. So without further ado, here’s the first “birds of my backyard” gallery, with captions: