And...
things are going to get a little busy here for me and you probably as well in the next couple of days, so I wanted to take a minute to wish you all a merry Christmas / Fröhliche Weihnachten and a wonderful holiday time. Hopefully, you will bathe in presents and food and love as much as a MoDo 😜 I am thankful for all of you.
Yesterday,
we finally got a good amount of rain. It cooled the premature summer heat down and made the garden happy. The birds looked a bit pitiful and drenched but you know I love a good wet birb because the textures are so interesting. And interesting things are welcome right now because this is a very boring season so far. And I don’t seem to be alone in my observations, the local birdwatching groups are full of people stating that they don’t see as much activity as in previous years. This is concerning, and one can only hope that populations will bounce back. If you are inclined, this article from the Smithsonian Magazine is shedding some light on things. It is from last December but seems to be appropriate now.
Wet birbs* pictured: my current favorite House Finch with the orange patch, a Blue Jay, an American Robin, Dr. Clara the Bluebird, a Starling and a MoDo.
(*I use this spelling on purpose and as a term of endearment, it is not a typo. Audubon is in agreement 🤓)
Of all the birds that visit my feeders,
I think it is safe to say the Mourning Doves take most portraits. I think it has to do with their greediness a bit, they love the small bowl that only allows for one bird to feed at a time. If another bird approaches, they put the wing up and move around to protect the bounty. They can be overwhelming in numbers and appetite. But they are experts at being models for bird portraits, so that evens things out a bit.
It's Labor Day weekend
and things have slowed down and it is a nice time to relax a bit. I hope everyone in the US has a nice Labor day. Here is a young MoDo to ring in late summer. I love the way their faces look “shadowed”.
Someone's getting pudgy!
I noticed that the Hummingbirds that came to the Birdsy feeder just quickly checked things out and never sat down. It was as if they couldn’t figure out the feeder. I thought it might be because they are not used to the insect guards, so I have removed them now and try to keep the nectar level low so the wasps cannot reach in. This seems to have worked - this little guy sat right down for two minutes.
Times are wild
and oddities are happening. We just have to keep our eyes open. I have seen this young Mourning Dove at the bird bath cam, but it was always too shy to check out the feeder cam. Today it came, in all its awkward teen glory. It will grow into the beak. I love him/ her/ it.
This MoDo
decided to go for a preening session while it was waiting for a refill of the food bowl. The spot in the middle where it looks like it’s making a trench is where the brood patch is located. I just read the other day that MoDos are one of the earlier nesters in Michigan, and I am wondering where their nest is.
Extra love fluff
The backyard is brimming with the songs of flirting birds, and everybody also shows their best in front of the camera. As always, the MoDos are masters of the game. It has cooled down quite a bit in recent days, which adds some extra love fluff.
