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This is a list of all the birds I have seen on or from my property. I
know that may be stretching the rules for a back yard list, but it's
my list and I'm making the rules. This accounts for such birds as mallards
seen flying overhead, and the snowy egret seen on the roof of the
mall across the street. However, most of the birds have actually
visited my yard, some more regularly than others.
For living across from a mall on a busy street in the middle of Maine's second largest city, I see a pretty good variety of birds. The lot beside me is wooded with young hardwoods, and the lot behind me is an overgrown field with an alder swamp. I think this factor is responsible for bringing in many of the birds we see. However, my wife and I have undertaken some extensive landscaping projects with attracting birds in mind. Our entire back yard is a garden; there is no more lawn. At first we worried that this may keep some birds, like robins, away. But that hasn't happened at all. In fact, I think we see more robins now than before. They seem to love digging around in the mulch of the flower beds, as do the flickers. Accordingly, we strive to have a completely natural and organic yard, especially when it comes to pest control.
We recently planted two new areas with berry producing bushes for fruit-eaters like Robins, Catbirds, Thrashers, Waxwings, Mockingbirds and others. Last fall we had a small flock of White-throated Sparrows plucking berries off a patch of Golden Elders. That was a rewarding sight. we also planted two dwarf cherry trees and three blueberry bushes, just for the birds. And for winter sustenance, we put in a Hawthorn tree. Right in front of our bedroom window we planted a small hummingbird garden. It includes some columbine, penstemon, foxglove, lilies, and of course some beebalm. There's nothing quite like watching a hummingbird work a patch of beebalm with military-like precision. We also added some butterfly weed for the butterflies.
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At
one end of the yard is a small lily pond. One end of the pond is shallow
and lined with small stones, just right for birds to bathe. Our resident
pair of Song Sparrows really appreciate this. They come almost every evening
for a quick dip before disappearing into the rhododendron to shake off and
preen.
Some
birds prefer the small concrete birdbath at the other corner of the
yard. It sets low to the ground on a rock, near the edge of the
woods. It's not uncommon to see several birds waiting in line for their
turn to cool off on a hot afternoon. Robins, Chickadees, Blue Jays and
Goldfinches are frequent visitors here. Robins tend to hog it to
themselves on really hot days, just sitting in the water for long periods
regardless of whose waiting.
This
is either a Cooper's or Sharp-shinned 
Here
is the doe White-tail Deer that has been visiting our yard this
summer. She seems to appreciate the pond. Unfortunately she is also fond
of our hostas and lilies. We have had to be very vigilant about spraying
them after each rain.