I cannot believe
that April is almost here now. Temperatures are looking very nice for the coming days, as well as the migration monitors online (this is a fantastic and fascinating source: https://birdcast.info/). The backyard is still slowly revocering from winter, and there has been a nice steady activity all week. Here are a couple of the current regulars. Have a wonderful Easter weekend!
(Titmouse, Pine Siskin, Redwinged Blackbird, Goldfinch, Goldfinch, Downy Woodpecker)
Extreme weather days
always make for some good birdwatching, and the feeders were buzzing at times yesterday despite the freezing rain. The light was murky, but this just kind of makes their colors pop. Here are some of the visitors. Top left to bottom right: American Goldfinch, Eastern Bluebird, Blue Jay, House Finch, Redbellied Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal.
It is very interesting
how different things are this November, compared to all the other years I have been here. Temperatures are more than mild, which I think is responsible for the relative quiet in the yard right now. Nature provides an abundance of food, there are still insects around too, so the birds seek feeders less. The Grackle and Redwinged Blackbird are still around too, and today I saw in a local birding group that someone had a Hummingbird on their feeder in Michigan. I am enjoying this mild weather but I really hope we will get some cold too. Anyways, here are some of the current residents, most of which are very busy taking nuts and seeds and hiding them for snowy days.
(Redbreasted Nuthatch, American Goldfinch, Blackcapped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse and House Finch)
The kamikaze peeps,
(Goldfinches), continue to fight, and it is always a good opportunity to see some wing action in the photos. Mrs. Redbellied Woodpecker was not amused.
If you want to know
what American Goldfinches are like, please see below. This feels like the quintessential Goldfinch photo. I don’t know why they are like that but they are some of the feistiest and aggressive birds out there, which is a bit funny because they are so tiny and sound like a rubber ducky 😄
Have a good Saturday!
Video: Owlie has seen some things...
It’s been a week, and Owlie has gotten a lot of attention from the birds here, and has changed a bit in appearance. You can’t see that the back is almost entirely eaten already. I love that this feeder invites several species to eat together, they usually don’t always like to share so much… Here we have one of my favorites, a Redbreasted Nuthatch (I think it is a male, his head cap is all black, the females have grey there), and a Goldfinch. This was taken with the Birdsy Cam, and in case you have not heard yet - they have now launched in the US and you can get a camera in their current Christmas sale. Check out their website at birdsy.com.
It is funny
how some birds make a complete disappearance and then suddenly return in full force. The Goldfinches are a case of that. Now in less vibrant winter plumage, they come to feed on seed pods in the garden, check out bird baths for a sip or two and also go to feeders. I personally don’t feed thistle because I find it too messy but I also realized that Goldfinches LOVE shelled sunflower seeds. So much that one year, I picked them out of the mix because I wanted to get photos of other birds too 😆
Like many other parts of the country,
we got a lot of rain yesterday. The birds got properly sokaed but many flocked to the feeders, even for “seed soup”. When you have larger feeders that are exposed to rain or moisture, make sure to check for signs of mold and change out the food and clean the feeders accordingly. I loved the eerie quality of this Goldfinch photo.
Are you someone
who talks to the beings around them? I am. I talk to the resident (indoor) cat goddess, I talk to the Groundhog when I see him running, I talk to the plants and I also talk to the birds. These two here are currently the most vocal. The baby Goldfinches are all over the place, excitedly talking to their parents, and the Red-bellied Woodpecker lady is just like me in a car in heavy traffic 😆 She wants to eat in peace but there are so many others who annoy.
I love the little surprises
that are always possible during migration times and even normal times. Yesterday, Count Grackula made a surprise visit to the yard! It has been what feels like a month since I last saw a Grackle, so this was wonderful to see. He didn’t stay long but he found some nutrition for his travels here. Today it is once again raining, so yesterday was a great day to travel for a migrating bird.
And from big to small, the rough looking cutie is a molting Goldfinch. You can still see the bright and vibrant yellow of their summer feathers but the milder brownish tones of their winter plumage are coming in too.
Backyard life
is still slow, variety is low, and many birds are using the remaining warmer days to grow new feathers. What you see on the MoDo’s head are the new feathers. I personally love it, "disheveled" is also my kind of pandemic style 😏 The Goldfinches have returned though, and the squeaky sounds of their adorable babies are filling the air. It is quite stormy today, which will help the migrants. And I hope some surprise visitors will pass through on their journey. Yesterday, I did see a Pine Warbler but it didn’t come to the cameras. Maybe today?
While I always
get a bit sad when barefoot weather comes to an end, I must admit that I am thoroughly enjoying the cooler temperatures and the smell of fall in the air. Things are still slow here but in the last two days, the Goldfinches have started to come back. They nest late in the season, and right now you can see them with their young ones. These two came to the feeder, and while I am sure they are both American Goldfinches, their very black wing bars look a bit unusual. Normally, there is more white to see there. I think the paler one is a molting young adult bird.
Video: Bling for the yard!
I am always exploring new options for feeders to try and keep my videos and photos interesting. Often, feeders are more function than design, so I was delighted when the people from Moore Birdfeeders approached me to try out some of their work. Seen here is their “Diamond”, an absolutely stunning piece of art, made from glass and brass that adds some serious bling to the backyard. The coolest thing is that it can also work as a terrarium. I hung it yesterday, and so far, the Goldfinches have basically started to call it their home. I am also going to try out their Oriole feeder but it is still a bit too early to out that out. The company is Canada-based and can be found on social media as well as at mooredesignbirdfeeders.com Mother’s Day is coming!
It's that time of the year,
the Goldfinches are starting to turn a bit more yellow and are becoming more aggressive with one another, showing partially spectacular wing displays. I fall for their color change each year, getting excited about an early spring. But nope. This happens every year around this time.
More snow today!
And the Goldfinches were plenty. Some of them are already starting to get patches of brighter yellow, slowly transitioning to their mating plumage.
The Goldfinches
have also started to come back. And they are still raising babies. Here is one of the youngsters that came to explore the feeders. They make the most enjoyable little noises.
Long time no see!
Goldfinches are usually mostly absent for me in the summer. They are the latest nesters, I have heard, and they seem to spend some fun time out in the wild before they start building families. Right now, I see one or the other return, here a male in his glorious summer “clothes”. I have some shelled sunflower seeds out that they seem to like a lot.
Goldfinches
are the mini kamikaze of the bird world, it seems. At this time of the year you see them squabbling all the time. Males with males, females with females, as well as couples. Do they ever get along?
They are currently dominating the yard,
so it’s only fair to show the variety of the molting Goldfinches. In constrast to the Mourning Doves, they are not lovey with one another.
