This morning,
it really felt like spring outside. The Cardinals and House Finches were singing, the snarls of the Grackles and Redwinged Blackbirds filled the air, and it was so warm that I did not have to wear a coat. Variety and activity is still down but I am enjoying these sure signs of spring. I also serviced the nestbox the Chickadees used last year, it needed a new roof and some other repairs. The BB house is next. And here are some visitors. Wonderfully enough, the Grackle with the white dot on the neck has returned!
We are now
in a nice stretch of very cold winter weather, with temperatures that make the inside of your nose feel funny when you go outside. It won’t be for long, so I am thoroughly enjoying. The snow makes for a great background, and there are lots of birds visiting. Each coping in their own way with the cold. A couple of Cowbirds have arrived, and yesterday I also saw a Grackle!
The summer months
are one of my favorite times for birding because it is the height of variety, and there are so many baby birds too. For July and August, I had a hard time choosing photos, so here you see some of the alternatives I considered, along with the two final choices, the Red-bellied Woodpecker and the dramatic Blue Jay (taking a sun bath). The immature Orchard Oriole was a fabulous surprise, and I always love the look of the immature Red-winged Blackbirds. Well, and I love Blue Jay babies in all their loud, demanding and adorable glory.
I like
moving cams around when the weather isn’t muddy, it gives me insights into areas I can otherwise not watch. It’s not always exciting stuff but the different background and perspective is a nice change from the ordinary. Here are some of the visitors from yesterday, the furry ones are very happy 😆
Slim pickings still
this week but the Christmas deco is up and temps are going to go down soon. Here are some of the recent visitors. My calendars are all on sale this week, by the way - they are 15 % off and you can get them at the link on my home page and in my shop here.
I know it's not
everybody’s favorite but I cherish this current cold weather because it brought in the birds! The last two days have been awesome, with more activity than in the last few months. The female Purple Finch is still around, as well as a White-throated Sparrow. It felt like everybody stopped by to say Hi.
Another week
with mediocre bird activity has passed but there was a lot of sunshine, and it was nice to see the trees do their best to make everything glow before we now get into cooler temperatures. The Goldfinches have returned, now with more drab winter plumage, and the Blue Jays were ruling feeders.
In other news, Birdsy has cameras for pre-order available again, and for the first time will also be available in the UK. I use Birdsy cameras for videos and livestreaming. You can check out their offer on their website birdsy.com.
Last but not least - I seem to only sell calendars when they are on sale this year, so they will be on sale again next week. Come good into the weekend!
As November marches on,
it definitely feels like fall now but some of the trees still have leaves on, and temperatures are also still not really cold. The yard still is slim pickings when it comes to birds, but there are several Juncos around, I have seen Goldfinches again, and the Blue Jays continue to provide entertainment. I am ready for some snow.
So there are
native sparrows migrating through my yard, namely White-throated, and I have seen and heard them and tried to get pictures. Cam on the ground. Here is my best effort, they are very skittish and camera shy, and other beings are also interested in the offerings. And a nice Blue Jay. Juncos are here, but activity is still low.
Molting season is here,
and many birds are shedding part of their feathers in various spots to grow new ones. They do this now because their skin gets exposed, and warm weather makes being partially naked a lot easier. I always love this part of the year because nobody molts in the same way and the textures and colors are pretty cool to see. Yes, those awkward holes are their ears!
There are bird babies
all over the yard right now. The Chickadees and Bluebirds have fledged (I have posted videos on all my social media platforms and Youtube and may make a separate post here soon too), and it is the most wonderful yet funny to listen to when outside. Most of them you can see at the pond livestream (babies of Orioles, Grosbeaks, Robins, Grackles, Starlings love to hang out there), and the others are starting to find the feeders. Today the first baby Blue Jay visited, along with a cute Grack. You can tell them by behavior and cuteness but also by their unusually colored gapes, the soft edges of the beaks. I love the color combinations of these youngsters! A funny Grosbeak and MoDo shot in the middle. Have a lovely 4th of July weekend and be easy on the fireworks - I cannot imagine all the young wildlife being super thrilled about it.
It has been a while
since I posted some photos but things have been rather quiet with so many birds nesting right now. But the light is nice and the backyard looks green and I am excited about all that’s coming up. Here are a few from the last couple of days. I had to move the cams around a bit to avoid direct sunlight, so there are some fun different backgrounds. (male Redbellied Woodpecker, Grackle, male Bluebird, female Rosebreasted Grosbeak, juvenile Starling, male Rosebreasted Grosbeak, Baltimore Oriole, Blue Jay)
Some more spring portraits.
The weather has been nasty but things seem to take a turn for the milder now 🤞. I have seen Grosbeaks in the last two days, but no Oriole or hummer yet. In other exciting birder news, a rare Vermillion Flycatcher has been spotted in my area. I have not made the trip to seek him out but I have seen photos, and he's quite spectacular. Spring migration can be quite amazing, and I hope there will be some surprises in my yard as well.
It is funny how much
my backyard birding reports are sounding like weather reports 😆🤪 But here we go. Today was the last more extremely cold day for a bit. It will still be wintery but not to the point where you have to use face cream to prevent frostbite (my middle German cheeks are still sensitive to extreme cold). The wind was icy and blowing, and there was not a lot going on. A group of Starlings came over and wrecked the bird baths and shooed everybody away, but there was also sun and I got these three beauties. Come good into the weekend!
I know that not everybody
has a great time on snow days, especially when the routine involves driving, but I was so happy today to see everything getting covered by a blanket of thick, heavy snow. We got about a foot, and I am not sure how long it will stay, so I am relishing, forgive me. I put on my thermo bibs, snow boots and hat every time I went for refills, and I had the most glorious time tumbling around like a toddler. Snow days are always fun for photos, and today did not disappoint.
As someone from the middle of Germany,
I have always loved having four seasons, and Michigan is a great place to be with that. I can see beauty in all four of them, and it is lovely to have them all here. Snow days are fun because there is a bit more activity at feeders, and I love the pale background for photos too. The birds are all slightly more agitated as well, which can produce some fun shots. Here are some from today. It is wonderful to see more of the Titmouse again. The Goldfinches are still quite vibrant, and having the King of the Yard over is always a treat.
I hope
you all had a wonderful holiday weekend and no bad impact from the blizzard. It was nice and cosy here, with lots of good food. We did not get as much snow as anticipated but it looks very festive regardless. Bird-wise, there hasn’t really been anything surprising. There are lots of MoDos, some woodpeckers, Chickadees, Titmice, Nuthatches, Finches and Blue Jays. Everybody seems to be very competitive, understandable with these frigid temperatures.
Spring and summer
are my favorite seasons because it always feels like something new happens or visits every day. July is a major baby bird month, and just like in previous years, we had loads and loads of Blue Jays. I love baby Blue Jays because they are wonderfully adorable in looks as well as behavior. For the calendar, I started thinking about July with the beautiful sunny photo of the adult, lured by the vibrancy and detail. But then I looked at photos of the youngsters. All three are cute and quite typical but I found the “mohawk” one the most interesting to look at, so that was the choice for July. The calendars are on sale starting today (once approved by the website) and continue until Sunday. Get yours here.
November is here,
and there are vibrant colors wherever you look. No Evening Grosbeaks or Purple Finches have graced my backyard so far but I still have a Grackle and a Redwinged Blackbird around, the busiest little crowd of Nuthatches, Titmice and Chickadees, and these guys. The Blue Jays at times seem frantic, searching the bowls for nuts by pushing everything out. It is fun to see them sharing like this, a rare sight.
