I always like it
when I see bird couples coming to the yard. The Cardinals do it, the Finches, and probably everybody else too but you just can’t tell that good if they look alike. The male Redbellied Woodpecker has made himself rare all year but today he was here. And his lady was there as well. She is the one with the blue-gray forehead.
With the arrival
of the first migratory birds, tensions are also on the rise. The Robin has discovered the mealworms, and will fiercely defend his right to eat.
Teenagers!
The yard is full of teenage birds, so here is a little gallery. In order of appearance: Baltimore Oriole, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Common Grackle, European Starling, Red-winged Blackbird, Blue Jay and Red-bellied Woodpecker.
Peanut and Hazel,
the resident Red-bellied Woodpeckers, are coming to the feeders more often at the moment. I wonder if they have babies yet. The female is easily identifiable by her gray patch on the head.
Speaking of brood patches,
Red-bellied woodpeckers have them too, and since with this species, the male and the female both sit on the eggs, the male also has a brood patch. In these photos, you can see the “crevice” along his belly very well. In between that line, a patch of bare skin is hiding which, when it touches and covers the eggs, can keep them warm.
