I shouldn't have spoken
about spring yesterday, because this is what we got today. I do not mind it because I don’t have to drive, it looks beautiful and snow days always have lots of bird activity. Stay warm and be safe out there!
Winter has returned
with quite a bit of snow this morning, and it was awesome watching the Cardinal share the food bowl with a cheeky American Tree Sparrow and some Juncos.
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.
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.
Another cold day,
but some beautiful little ones came to visit the feeders. I am happy about the Juncos and the Tree Sparrow, they usually feed on the ground. The Titmouse looked adorable as always. American Tree Sparrows can be easily confused with Chipping Sparrows, but one good ID sign is a spot on their chest.
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!
Goodbye, 2023!
There were fun moments this year and I absolutely enjoyed the garden this year but I hope that next year will be a bit more exciting again when it comes to birds. The last four months of the year show a Chipmunk, a Chickadee, a Bluebird and a Junco. I hope for some snow in January, just for some fun photo opportunities, and would love a return of a Chickadee nest and of course the Blues.
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 😆
Video: They are back!
Two days ago, fall really started, with leaves changing colors and temperatures dropping. I closed the pond for the season and have set up three heated baths this year, one on the ground at the pond spot, one on a pedestal, and then this one, which is mounted above ground. It is smaller than the others, and it took the birds a bit to find it but now it is in good use. There was a group of Robins passing through that took to it, the woodpeckers seem to like it because it allowes them easy access, and the smaller birds enjoy it as well. Like the Juncos that have just started to return too. I hope you have a wonderful Sunday. Check out the calendar shop as well - from today until the 14th, calendars are 10 % off.
Pew pew pew - an announcement
This is from February 25, and it shows nicely how vocal the Juncos are. They have already become less in the last few days, a sure sign that migration is underway. This is one of the more boring times of the year, and I have decided to pause feeding for a bit for several reasons. For once, I have seen some Finches that might have the dreaded Finch Eye disease, for two, it is a good opportunity to clean the palate, so to speak, and maybe make the larger groups of MoDos and also the Starlings to disperse. I am cleaning all feeders thoroughly with a 1:10 bleach solution and have changed camera setups to still capture whatever exciting might happen without feeders. This is tough on me but it is a good time for this in the season, and it might also help the BBs with their nesting efforts. I have lots of material so I can still continue to post.
If you see puffed up birds that seem to “nap” on the feeder and look cute and tame, they might actually be sick. This does not mean you have made them sick but you can take measures to keep your birds healthy. Finches are prone to certain illnesses because of their genetic makeup, so they are a good bird to keep an eye on for possible issues. I will keep feeders down for 10 to 14 days to let the birds disperse and let nature take its course.
During very cold times,
the Dark-eyed Juncos always seem to have a field day. They are not shy about getting to feeders and are hopping around all over the backyard in the search for food. Apart from being very hardy when it comes to temperatures, they also seem to be very focused on feeding and go about it steadily. They don’t seem to fight much with others or one another. And I think sometimes that stuns some of the other birds who cannot seem to spend a minute without making a ruckus (looking at you here, Goldfinches 😜).
After the excitement
of the very frosty snow days, activity has mellowed out a bit again. Many birds are coming to feed but there is nothing super exciting happening and the light is mostly murky too. I did love this House Finch and the Junco in the evening light. The Junco is one of those that have lots of brown muddled into the slate plumage. I always feel like they look more warm than the super sharp “snowbird” slate and white Juncos. Come good into the weekend and stay warm!
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!
Happy Friday!
Today, I will continue with the introduction of the birds of this year’s calendar with the bird of January, a Dark-eyed Junco. Juncos, also nicknamed “snowbird”, are only visiting my area in the cold season, they stay from about November until April. This makes them harbingers of winter but also of spring in a way. They are hardy little birds that come in an astounding variety of color, depending on region as well as gender. They usually forage on the ground, looking for seed by scratching with both feet at the same time, which looks rather funny. They also sound like tiny laser guns, and their pink beaks make them extra adorable. The one in the photo has a little brown in the feathers, which makes it a bit special because my usual variety is a dark slate gray with a while belly. Come good into the weekend!
You can find the 2022 Ostdrossel calendar here: https://www.createphotocalendars.com/Shop/ostdrossel
It was cold today,
but the sun was shining. In fact, it was so bright outside, I felt like I needed sunglasses. It felt so good. And the birds looked happy too. (House Finch, Junco, female Bluebirds, Blue Jay, Chickadee. Goldfinch)
