The year is coming to an end,
and I would like to take the moment to thank everybody who has been following me along. 2022 was an odd year in regards to birds for me, it feels like there was a lot less going on than in previous years. While it is nice to have more time for other hobbies, I am looking forward to a hopefully beautiful spring with an abundance of visitors. With this pensive Whitebreasted Nuthatch I am bidding farewell to 2022 (unless a super awesome bird comes tomorrow 😁).
Be safe this New Year’s Eve, love as much as you can, and see you all fresh and new in 2023. My calendars will still be available for a bit into January, should you decide you would like one.
Since I've been so busy with work,
it sometimes takes me a bit to go back out and refill the feeders. And that is when I get lots of photos like these that show nice different angles like the side or back. It is great to see Whitebreasted Nuthatches and Titmice again on a regular basis after they’ve been more feeder shy in the summer. (Titmouse, Nuthatch, Bluebird, Starling)
Bird traffic
has been quite slow during the holidays, but this is normal for this time of the year. Here are a couple of the visitors from snow day. (Blue Jay, House Finches, Whitebreasted Nuthatch, Tufted Titmouse, Starling and Redbellied Woodpecker, Blackcapped Chickadee, House Finch and Goldfinch, Mourning Doves)
I don't post them often enough,
but I love the Whitebreasted Nuthatches. There seem to be several couples around. This is a male, his head cap is black, whereas the one of the female is blue-gray.
The small crowd
for the winter - these guys are very diligent and alert and work all day to get their winter stashes ready. I also saw a Brown Creeper today, and I am sure he appreciates every morsel the Nuthatches are hiding in the trees.
(House Finch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadee, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow, White-breasted Nuthatch)
White-breasted Nuthatches
might be hard to tell apart from afar, but there are way to differentiate the males from the females. The males have a black head cap, while the markings of the females are more subtle. The same is true for Red-breasted Nuthatches, by the way. Here, you have the male in the first photo and the female in the second (with added Chickie photobomb).
The fall crowd
is starting to settle in for the cold season. I am still hoping for Purple Finches too but I am very happy that the Redbreasted Nuthatches are here again. I also saw the first Juncos yesterday. Here’s to a good new week!
(from left to right: Red-breasted Nuthatch, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, House Finch, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadee)
Everybody was enjoying
this nice, shadowy spot. At least until…
On a sidenote, that Titter looks so happy!
But with fall migration
some birds that have not been so present all summer are coming back, like the Nuthatches and Chickadees. I am keeping my eyes peeled for a Purple Finch, Evening Grosbeak or Redbreasted Nuthatch who might pass through / come to stay for the fall and winter, and am thinking about possible feeder and bath setups for the cold season.
I keep moving the camera around
to find interesting spots, and now this is becoming more fun because the vegetation is finally starting to fill in. Close to the ground, sometimes the funniest little things happen. Like Peanut, the woodpecker, bringing a straw (this is a joke, it is his tongue ;) ). The Nuthatch looked quite pleased, then there is a young male Rosebreasted Grosbeak who looks wonderful with the dots, and a Titmouse that has been coming lately.
Head and facial feathers
are very fascinating to me. Everything is so neatly and effectively organized on bird heads. Nuthatch heads are amongst the more interesting to me because they have such a unique head shape. All the patterns around the eye are beautiful to look at and explore. I am a bit sad that I did not see any of their cousins, the Redbreasted Nuthatches, this winter, but I hope that they will not be gone forever.
