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.
Yesterday has been
a rather mild day. The snow started to melt, leaving a sludgy mess on the ground. This was great for bird photography because some of the ones who like feeding on the ground came up to the photo setup. And the prettiest of them all was this gorgeous Cardinal lady. Her hair game is top notch!
Oh, how wonderful!
There are several Cardinal couples around, and you have seen some of their offspring too. the whole summer I have heard and seen them, but they are shy when it comes to the camera… But the colder weather has brough them out more, and today this beautiful female came to sit by the camera.
Every evening,
when the sun starts going down and things calm down a bit, a Cardinal party starts. I have counted up to six adult individuals and several babies in the last few weeks. They are still pretty camera shy, but now that feeder traffic is getting a bit more normal, this beautiful female came to the bowl yesterday. It is my quest each year around this time to capture photos or video of the most adorable babies but so far I have not been very lucky.
The weather has been less than stellar
and activity remains low, but I was happy to see the Grosbeak female, a frequently visiting female Red-winged Blackbird, and the ever so beautiful wet Blue Jays. The forecast is very summery, though, and I am expecting lots of baby birds to show up soon. Dr. Clara and Mandrake’s babies are due to hatch in a few days as well.
Nesting season
is pretty much in full bloom right now. I still see some birds gathering nesting material, but many others are either coming a lot less to the feeders or when they come quickly stuff their beaks and take off. Funnily enough, during this rather slow time at the feeders, sometimes birds make it to the bowl that usually don’t go there, like this female Redwinged Blackbird. They are a rather shy and humble bird, kind of in the shadow of their vibrant male counterparts, but I love their kind faces and their subtle colors.
This beautiful Cardi lady
had a lot of camera time today. She seemed to enjoy the sun as much as I did. I sat in the sun room, updated the sparrow spookers for the Bluebird house and listened to all the birds singing up a storm.
On a side note - if you are a publication and want to publish my photos, please do not remove the watermark. Thanks and happy Sunday!
One would think
that there aren’t many differences in the looks of individual female Cardinals, but there are! Here is one I like to call Queen Red Eyebrow because of her exquisite red markings. We also had sun today, which was nice for a change. Come good into Sunday!
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.
The Hummingbird situation this year
is so different from previous years. Usually, by now I would have regulars. Few, but still. This year, I am seeing very little Hummingbird activity at all. I don’t know if it is because of the big storm that happened when they migrated or because so many more people are home and putting feeders out, but I have been missing my hummers. Today, though, I have seen a female and a male! And the female was brave enough to go for the camera feeder. I hope they both return.
The nectar is fresh and the feeders are clean here - spread the word!
Video: The female Rose-breasted Grosbeaks
have arrived now as well. These birds are true badasses. They will sit through a thunderstorn when they have good seed in front of them. They have a very beautiful song and begging sounds, too, but when they are angry, they squeal like a rubber ducky :)
