For weeks now,
the Goldfinches have looked like their change to the vibrant yellow summer feathers was about to start, but now, the really adventurous looks are popping up more and more. I thought the first one looked very interesting because he has a lot of features of a Common Redpoll.
The tiny ones
are very animated and adorable right now. Juncos and Goldfinches are a bit feisty with one another, resulting in lots of blurry photos when the SD card cannot compete with tempo and cold.
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!
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.
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.
The molting continues.
There are still flocks of adventurous looking Cowbirds passing through, along with Grackles and Starlings. Many of the Blue Jays are also still looking rather rough, but the weather is nice enough so they will not be cold. The Goldfinches have come back, bringing their adorable and excited youngsters, and they are beginning to molt into their winter feathers. The resident Cardi family also has made it through the summer fine, they have at least two young ones but except for this female, they are all camera shy. Hopefully in the coming weeks I can get one of the babies to check a camera out. Come good into Saturday!
Happy Earth Day!
Nature is slowly waking up here, and I have started to do my daily walk around our perimenters to watch the budding progress on flowers, trees and bushes. Things are happening slower than last year, due to the recent cold snap, but spring is definitely here. The anticipation can sometimes lead to unrealistic expectations, and so I put out some orange halves for possible early arriving Orioles the other day. The House Finches were delighted, the Goldfinch not so much. I have my Hummingbird feeder out as well, and keep an eye on journeynorth.org to see when they are likely to arrive. We are trying to add more native plants to our garden every year, to make it into a bird paradise that benefits us humans too, and I cannot wait to dig in the dirt again.
I find bird backs
really cool to see because they always seem like such a well-organized piece of nature. It is pretty amazing how neatly the wings fold and everything creates a beautiful, water-resistant surface with the most intricate patterns. Can you guess them all?
Bird butts
are funny to me, and also here, it is so interesting how much they differ from species to species. A bird butt quizz might be a fun idea and is entirely possible. Here we have a Goldfinch and a House Finch (he is not so sure what to think about this), and the “back face” of a Junco. Have a great Thursday!
And a lot of traffic
And a lot of traffic can create quick interactions and surprise gatherings at the feeders. The Blue Jays, Starlings and Goldfinches were exceptionally active. I love these interaction shots but they are often not in focus, so here are three rare examples. I hope you have a pleasant Monday with no bad surprise gatherings 😊
Video: Scenes from the Santa Stop
The yard has been quite busy today, with many birds (including a hawk earler) visiting the bird baths and feeders. Here is a fun little scene from the bath earlier, a gathering at the Santa Stop. With Goldfinches, House Finches, Bluebirds, Juncos and at the end an American Tree Sparrow. I love snow days.
Another stormy day here
in Michigan, and I decided to not put out cameras on a tripod because of it. Instead, I put them on the ground. I would still love more Junco footage, and Cardinals too but the weather has been so weird and erratic that things are just super duper boring. However, here are a hilariously “shy” squirrel and a Goldfinch with lots of stuff blown towards him/ her. Come good into Friday!
The pickings are slim still,
but this is normal for this time of the year. It was a cold day today, and there was even some snow. The MoDos come in large groups, and often occupy the food dishes for hours. But occasionally, they have enough and let other birds feed. I loved this Blue Jay with the dotted forehead and the proud-looking Goldfinch that still has quite a bit of color on him.
As we are diving deeper
into those golden light evenings, temperatures are becoming noticeably cooler and the plants are starting to wilt. I am happy for every sun ray, trying to soak it all up before winter. The birds forage seed pods and nuts and fruit in nature, so activity is still down but it is normal for the season. Here is the current crew, and imagine a Downy Woodpeckerine happily snoozing in the BB box.
I am always a bit restless during these quieter times but they are also very useful because they give me time to work on the 2022 calendar.
(pictured: Goldfinch, female Redbellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, young MoDo, House Finch, Chickadee)
I like it when they share,
even if they often do not seem to. Titmice and Chickadees often seem to hang out together but I guess peanut envy is a thing 😜 The House Finch looks unimpressed yet wary of the big (molting) MoDo, and the young Woodpecker appears to be more interested in the camera than the Goldfinch.
