7-22-2026 10:52pm

Summertime Backyard Birding

Beth Callahan Editor

Nature Close to Home and Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist Dave Woehr shares monthly naturalist stories.

LEBANON, OH -- It’s late July in southern Ohio. The recent stretch of humid
90-degree weather has had me house-bound much of the time. Any work
in the lawn or gardens gets done very early in the morning before I cozy up to the air conditioner for the rest of the day. Back inside in the comfort of my La-Z-Boy chair, I keep an eye on the birds and animals that are regular backyard visitors.

Squirrels, rabbits, and chipmunks are quite active. Birds come to the birdbath to drink the water and splash around.

I don’t see as many bird species in the summer as I see in the winter. That’s understandable because the only feeder I tend at this time of year is a nectar feeder for the hummingbirds. In May, I had very few hummers visiting, but now I see them sipping from the feeder many times a day.

During the winter months, I see dozens of backyard bird species, because they are drawn to the seed feeders I hang after the nectar feeder comes down. But, some of them just can’t seem to wait for winter and the seed feeders.

They are coming close to the house now eating the seeds ripening in my sunflowers, zinnias and other garden flowers. Cardinals, Blue Jays, chickadees, finches and titmice are keeping company with the hummingbirds every day now in mid-summer.

But, I was taken quite by surprise to find a very rare Calico Catbird drinking from the birdbath on several occasions. It’s hot out there... and she’s thirsty!