I don't believe
that we will get an early spring but signs of it have begun to emerge. It is not just the Starlings that have started to change their plumage, the Goldfinches show specks of more vibrant yellow as well, turning into their breeding colors. They are the most plentiful right now, along with House Finches (the sun came out yesterday!), Pine Siskins, Juncos and MoDos.
Video: Would you have thought
that House Finches like oranges? I was surprised when I noticed for the first time years ago. But who doesn’t like oranges? there are numerous options to offer oranges as food for birds, from spiking them on a shepherd’s hook to stuffing them into suet cages or putting halves in dishes. This feeder here was provided to me by the Canadian company Moore Birdfeeders to test. They have been making their feeders by hand for more than 25 years now, and I was excited to try them. This one here has a cool concept for the orange halves, and I was happy to see the House Finches using it.
Couples.
I always find it fascinating to see the differences in the appearance of birds. Here is a little selection.
(top two rows: Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird - ladies in row 1, gents in row 2
third row: Mourning Doves and House Finches, they wanted to be in the same photo with their partners :D)
House Finches
are one species that stays in my yard year round. The males can be confusing to people. Their color can vary greatly, and often the ones with darker red on them are mistaken for Purple Finches. These here are all House Finches. It is neat how their diet paints them in so many shades. There are great photo comparisons on the internet if you want to learn how to ID a Purple Finch (the color alone is not an indicator).
I am a spring lover,
but fall is one of the prettiest of the seasons in Michigan, with nature glowing in all shades of yellow, gold, ombre and red. The October bird in the calendar is an especially colorful House Finch that shows through his colors the abundance of natural foods he has found here. They might be more “boring” because they are here year round and abundant, but I truly appreciate these sweet birds.
You can get an Ostdrossel calendar here at ostdrossel.com or here.
This Goldfinch
had such a cute little agistated pose. (I know I am lagging behind with photos a bit but I am busy work-wise this week, which is very welcome. The cams are out, I just need a moment to process photos.)
Come good into Wednesday!
The Goldfinches are back,
and and as usual, are creating a little drama whenever they come across a fellow Goldfinch. They do play nice with the House Finches and others. The House Finch in the middle is the most interesting guy, and he seems to be a local. He has fantastic hues of red, brown and even orange in his feathers.
Greetings from the small crowd.
They are enjoying te relative calm at the feeders and preparing their winter stashes of nuts and seeds. Left to right: American Goldfinch, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Tufted Titmouse.
The House Finches
are back in numbers, showing their offspring the fall and winter feeding spots and enjoying more space in the yard (because the large migrant bird groups have gone). These are all 100 % House Finches. I like their color variety.
I think the Chickadees
are happy they found some allies of equal size now that the yard has calmed down for the fall. And I am so happy about the Red-breasted Nuthatches! I spotted two of them on the big tree today.
Molting House Finches
have such interesting textures, patterns and colors going on with. The one with the orange beak base is a youngster, and I think the one that I have been seeing and thought to be a female for a while.
There's still the occasional night frost,
which had me searching for solutions to get my veggie seeds going in the house, but spring is definitely here now. The fruit trees and bushes are starting to bud, the lawn is beginning to look greener again, and there are little displays of courtship and birb love all over the place. This House finch couple came last night for an intimate dinner. The female begs, and the male feeds her. Later on, the babies will beg from their parents to be fed just in the same way, it is very adorable to watch.
What weird weather.
One day you want to walk around in a t-shirt outside, the next day it is snowing. But I guess that is April. Snow days always mean good traffic at the feeders too. While I have prepared the Oriole and Hummingbird feeders because there are reports that at least the latter are already in Michigan (journeynorth.org is a fine ressource for that), I have yet to see or hear any of the two. The Finches, however, are having the time of their lives right now. The House Finches are flirting, the Goldfinches are fighting, and in between, they sit down for a peaceful snack. I loved this House Finch, He is so wonderfully round.
