Bird activity remains slow
for this time of the year but I do enjoy having the Pine Siskins around. People seem to often mix them up with Goldfinches and House Finches, so I compiled some photos to show them from front and back. As I said before, good ID marks are Goldfinch size, pointy beak, yellow on sides and tail and a feisty spirit. The other two photos show a (very adorable) female House Finch.
A couple of days
after the male, a female Purple Finch has arrived. She mingles with the Goldfinches and House Finches, and while she is not the perfect poser, she has given some cool views that helped me learn a bit more about them because I don’t think I ever had a female by the photo setups. I love to see all those yellow tones in her feathers, and I think she has the most beautiful markings.
On a side note - my calendars are on sale this entire week. I added a link to the shop here on my home page, check them out!
When there is little activity,
even the simplest little things can become interesting. Like the funky colorings of House Finches. Their color is determined by what they eat, and we have all kinds of berries around, red but also orange. These two looked quite cool.
As you may have guessed,
things are still very slow. It is truly a bit depressing, but I cannot change the weather. Here is a House Finch couple from today. They are frequent visitors. I have always loved that particular shade of the lashes of the male and would love some company to make it into a nail polish. How fun could that be, a whole bird line? Come good into the weekend!
Calendar birds - February and March
The birds for February and March in my calendar are an adorable House Finch on a frosty morning and a Redwinged Blackbird against a dramatic sky. I loved the light in both of these photos, it created a cool mood and made the birds stick out nicely. My calendars are available in four different formats with customizable spines in my shop here: https://tinyurl.com/wa8jmt44
House Finches
House Finches are one of the more "common" birds in most of the US (their history is rather fascinating, here is a good article about it), but even they can be confusing to birdwatchers, and that is mostly due to the variety of colors in the males. It can range from faint blushes of rose to vibrant reds with pink hues and even orange. Their color and vibrancy depends on their diet. The ones I see are usually reddish but yesterday, there was also an orange one. He looked especially cool in the gloomy light.
Because of the variety in color, sometimes people mistake House finches for Purple Finches. There are some features that can help to differentiate them. I made a chart last year to help with that, which I am posting below too.
It is very interesting
how different things are this November, compared to all the other years I have been here. Temperatures are more than mild, which I think is responsible for the relative quiet in the yard right now. Nature provides an abundance of food, there are still insects around too, so the birds seek feeders less. The Grackle and Redwinged Blackbird are still around too, and today I saw in a local birding group that someone had a Hummingbird on their feeder in Michigan. I am enjoying this mild weather but I really hope we will get some cold too. Anyways, here are some of the current residents, most of which are very busy taking nuts and seeds and hiding them for snowy days.
(Redbreasted Nuthatch, American Goldfinch, Blackcapped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse and House Finch)
Birds are still migrating,
bringing occasional fun visitors, like Grackles and Redwinged Blackbirds. The House Finch almost got me with his head marks, I thought it might be a Purple. But the stripes on the belly are a true sign for House.
Speaking of Redwinged Blackbirds - today, the promo sale for the calendar ends. There will be another one or two farther down the road but I haven’t made my mind up when.
And since things are calmer now,
with many of the summer guests gone, the regulars and smaller birds are starting to return to feeders. As sad as fall migration makes me, it is also nice that things are calming down a bit. There is still lovely weather ahead of us and of course the migration may still hold surprises too. This is also a good time to see the Goldfinches in their bright summer colors before they start to dull for the cold season.
Happy Mother's Day!
It is a beautiful spring day here, and I hope you all get spoiled today. Thank you for all you do, you make this world a better place.
Finches are so peaceful,
and Goldfinches even more so… Not. Hormones are raging in the backyard right now, and there are lots of colorful wing displays during the daily fight for territory, dominance and food. It’s gotta be stressful. As you can see, the Goldfinches are transitioning to their summer feathers, and they look adventurously patchy right now too. These tinies lead a stressful life!
Snow days
are fun days for me when it comes to birding, especially when the sun is shining. The birds are hungry and plenty, and the photos just look better with the pretty background. The morning light is especially nice, and I have been bringing out the cameras a bit earlier to catch some of it. This House Finch clearly seemed to enjoy the warming rays. As a comparison, there is also a House Finch in normal daylight.
For some reason,
birds looking down onto the food is one of my favorite poses for the photos. Maybe it is because you can see parts and details that you would normally not see. I love to examine their beaks and faces, the patterns and colors on the head. Here are a male House Finch and a male Bluebird.
Video: Spa day for "Owlie"
I hung this feeder yesterday, it is made of sunflower seeds, peanuts, some fruit and I think thistle. It is a crowd pleaser, and it was hilarious to watch them give the "owl" a wellness treatment on this beautiful snow morning. The Birdsy camera got a bit confused over night because it thought there was an actual owl there too 😄
A quick Hello
during a busy start of a work week. The light right now is interesting, either almost blindingly bright or so murky that every hour seems like 5 PM. I do prefer the sunny days, though. It is true that birdwatching makes you more aware of the cycles in nature, and I always find it interesting to see how the position of the sun is changing with the seasons. Somehow, that regularity is soothing amidst the chaos of life. Now, with the trees almost empty, there is also a noticeable uptick in hawk activity, so far with no casualties. Here are a Blue Jay and a House Finch to brighten your Tuesday, and I hope it is a good one.
The selfie-expert
was back today to take a pic with a House Finch 😁 I think he is improving his skills, too! If you are still thinking about getting an Ostdrossel calendar, I recommend to check my shop from Nov 19 to 29 for a special promotion where calendars are a bit more affordable. You can find the shop here: https://www.createphotocalendars.com/Shop/ostdrossel
The regulars
are all hanging in there despite the rain and muddy atmosphere outside, and here are some of them. The Blue Jays are giving their nickname that I gave them, blue screemers, full worth, and sometimes I am not sure what is even going on - are they screaming because they see food? Haha. Then there is a House Finch and a Chickadee. Come good into the weekend!
Now is a good time to learn more
about bird ID because individuals from the same species can show very different looks. Between male and female, young and adult and molting or non-molting, there is a big variety of feathers to be seen at the end of the warm season. These are all House Finches. One male adult (this was yesterday morning when the air was beautifully foggy) with a little molt, one younger male with a lot of molt and a female that looks pretty much impeccable.
Today,
I saw a Red-breasted Nuthatch, a Red-bellied Woodpecker and a Downy Woodpecker (in a nestbox) What a nice change from the bird desert that my yard has been in the last couple of days. The House Finches are also back in full force, and I love that there are Titmice all over the place. I often mix them up with Chickadees when I just hear them but they are way more talkative! Always makes me smile to hear them.
These are strange times,
when bird migration is underway but you can’t see results yet, the weather is spring-like but also still full of frosty surprises, and we are kind of in an in-between. However, there is also a lot of love in the air! House Finches, like many other birds, strengthen their bond during mating season by feeding each other. It is adorable to watch. Come good into Friday!
