My favorite season,
spring, has finally arrived. On the calendar, at least, because we are currently experiencing a fun mix of wind, snow and sunshine. I know it is all part of the seasonal adjustment, and just knowing that there will probably not be another week-long deep frost makes my heart sing. The birds are staying close to food and water, and yesterday, this beauty’s hair was tussled in the breeze. I think the groundhog went back for some more napping though.
Against the snow,
the Cardis continue to shine. There are several couples, and I think one of the males may be a youngster from last year, he has quite a bit of yellow/ orange still in his plumage.
As a lovely surprise,
the King and Queen of the Yard finally visited the photo setup again too. It was cloudy so things look a bit murky. Today, the sun is out, let’s hope they come back for more. Stay warm and have a fabulous Tuesday! If you’re shopping for Christmas presents, check out my calendars here.
While they are always around,
they tend to stay away from cameras during busy times but more recently the Cardinals have made it back in front of the lens. I have seen at least two youngsters too (one is in the picture with the male), and I hope to snap some shots of them soon too. In the evenings, several couples gather to eat the spills of the day.
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 a true February,
even if it sounded a lot like spring this morning with Redwinged Blackbirds singing. We are currently experiencing an ice storm, and I hope the powerlines stay put. Activity is still somewhat slow but this lovely lady came to the camera. The boxes and tripods were all covered in ice, and I do not envy anybody who has to drive tomorrow. Be safe and stay warm!
Today finally
we got some snow again, and I decided to take a break from the feeder break and put the cams out. It was still rather calm generally but there were many happy Cardinals. The entire family of the King and Queen of the Yard showed off. I counted four males and at least two females. The light was still murky but here are some of my favorites from today. Come good into Monday!
I am seeing a lot of ads for
for "THE AI BIRD FEEDER" and things like that, and I would like to state that I am not using any of these birdfeeder cameras. For my photos I use a homemade setup with an action camera, and for video and streaming I use Birdsy cameras. Many of the currently available feeder cams appear to be knockoffs (makers saw products in Kickstarter that garnered a lot of attention and then proceeded to quickly produce lesser quality products and flooded the market with them). They are often pricey gadgets and not the quality they may promise to be. My opinion of this is coming from seeing posts in birding groups, as well as my own research for what is out there and promising. I can only recommend Birdsy so far because it is what I use and because I know there is a solid, authentic and diligent team behind it. My general advice would be - do some research, try to find feedback and don’t spend fortunes on bad products.
If you are a maker of a feeder cam, feel free to send me one, I will put it to the test.
Have a great Friday!
I have seen her
by the bird baths but never got a clear view. This is a new female, and since she has the most glorious eyebrows, I am declaring her now the new Queen of the yard. She is getting used to the camera feeder, and I hope I will get more photos of this beautiful lady.
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!
Since we are talking couples,
here’s the King and Queen of the Yard. I know in reality there are more than two, and they love to go to the bath in the early mornings and late evenings. It is going to be fun to see them all against a snowy backdrop.
The Cardis
are becoming a little bit more accustomed to the camera, it seems. Or maybe they are just more easy about it because the larger birds are not around in such great numbers anymore. anyways. Here is a beautiful Queen of the Yard and a young King. He still has some black on his beak and he was too close to be in focus, but I hope he will return. The Cardinals seem to have had a really good summer.
Pretty bird ladies
I usually don’t post House Sparrows, but they are around right now, and I thought the portrait of this young one was very sweet. It fit well together with the Cardi lady who also sat still to have her picture taken.
Madame Queen Red Eyebrow
Even ruffled, she is a beauty. I love it that the Cardinals have started to come back a bit more. They have been mostly camera shy all summer.