The last week
was so mild, one day I even had the windows open all day. Spring was in the air. Now we have more snow in the forecast, but it feels like everybody is getting ready for the next season anyways. These two here are definitely give that impression. The first thing I heard when I stepped outside this morning was the wonderful PETERPETERPETER of a Titmouse. And a Chickadee has been busy checking out the nestboxes all week too.
Regardless of that, bird activity remains low, so I am using this time to pack my work schedule. Migration may be already underway and busy times are upon us soon.
Bird activity
has picked up a bit, and the Juncos are definitely here but today, temps were like spring again, so generally, things are still very slow. I did get some lovely portraits in the sunshine yesterday and the leaves are finally starting to turn here too. If you are watching my livestreams, please note that the ones not active right now will be back soon, there have been some technical issues.
While I absolutely love
to have the Titmice back, them, Blue Jays and Mourning Doves continue to be the only birds visiting here currently. I do hear woodpeckers but they will not come down. There are mature Oaks as well as nut trees, Cedars and the like in the neighborhood, so I think many feast there while a huge group is still on the move too. This is a welcome break for my bird seed budget but I also really miss seeing birds. The critters are filling up as usual.
When nothing much
is going on, there’s still some activity apart from the MoDos. I call them the tiny crowd, and they are usually the first to greet me when I open the buffet in the morning. I often just stand ofr a bit to watch them, and they just make me smile. There’s two kinds of Nuthatches - the very human-friendly teensy Redbreasted and the more shy but equally diligent Whitebreasted. You can tell male and females apart by the color of the broad center stripe on their head. Males have a jetblack one, females more grey. Also belonging to the tiny crowd - the choir in the back, friendly Chickadees and Titmice. Come good into Wednesday!
I am so happy
to see that the Titmice have found their way back here. They are not just totally adorable but also a lot of fun to watch and listen to. In the spring, you can hear their surprisingly loud PETERPETERPETER sounding through the air. Right now, they sound a lot like Chickadees, making grumpy little noises when they are not happy with the spread or notice competition.
A crazy thing happened today,
the sun came out! It feels like it’s been ages. It was a bit cooler too, and there were birds! When I first stepped out in the morning, I could hear a Bluebird, so I put some mealers out in the open bowl, and voilà. What a nice sight after these weeks of barely any fun photos. The Titmice and Chickadees were very vocal and the MoDos feisty as always (yes, that one in the back holds the feathers of the other one 😂 ). Here’s to a good birding week!
As someone from the middle of Germany,
I have always loved having four seasons, and Michigan is a great place to be with that. I can see beauty in all four of them, and it is lovely to have them all here. Snow days are fun because there is a bit more activity at feeders, and I love the pale background for photos too. The birds are all slightly more agitated as well, which can produce some fun shots. Here are some from today. It is wonderful to see more of the Titmouse again. The Goldfinches are still quite vibrant, and having the King of the Yard over is always a treat.
Sometimes it feels
like the camera loves some birds more than others. It is very hard to find a Bluebird photo that I dislike, which always makes it tough to choose which ones to keep from a busy day. I loved this one with her furrowed brow. The Titmouse was also posing very nicely. There is a tree trim crew here today so I might shut off live cams during the day. Hopefully the internet stays on, unlike yesterday… Have a great Thursday!
Things have gone
very quiet in the last two days, and the backyard feels almost deserted. There are still Doves and Blue Jays and some Chickadees and Finches, but somehow it is like everyone left abruptly. It is nice after the frenzy of the summer but it also feels strange. However, whenever I go to forage in the garden, I can hear the adorable squawks of the Titmice, and I see Hummingbirds buzzing around, checking out the flowers and feeders, and it makes me happy and content. It is nice to have a bit of a break. The Hummingbird in the photo appears to be a young male with the gorget just starting to come in. I hope he stays around for a bit and develops at least one red feather there. Have a great Wednesday!
Power might still be out
until Sunday night, but thanks to the generator, I was able to go through the photos of Wednesday today before it all went down. I feel a little bad because I cannot replenish the bird baths because we are on a well and have to preserve water right now, but I have put out some food today and might put the photos cams out tomorrow too. There are still some Orioles, but it feels like with the storm most of the summer guests have been swooped away. It is weird being so long without power, I never experienced it. And generators are amazing. Be safe and enjoy the weekend!
Along with the Titmice,
there have also been more Chickadees recently. They all raised babies and are starting to come back to the backyard again to delight with their appearance and songs. I always feel a little bad for them because they usually come to the camera when the bowl is empty. (Because then no other bird occupies it.) Nevertheless I am sure they still get their fill as I see them flitting around between feeders and trees a lot.
The Tufted Titmouse
is one of the cutest visitors I have around here, and I am so happy that they made a comeback after having been gone for two years from my yard. Titmice often flock with Chickadees and have an impressive call that can be quite melodious and goes PETERPETERPETER! And that is the November bird in my calendar.
You can get an Ostdrossel calendar here at ostdrossel.com or here.
Also keep an eye on my Insta and FB tomorrow, there will be a little Christmas surprise.
Greetings from the small crowd.
They are enjoying te relative calm at the feeders and preparing their winter stashes of nuts and seeds. Left to right: American Goldfinch, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Tufted Titmouse.
The Coneheads
Titmouse, Blue Jay and female Cardi were on high alert and on top of their hair game.
"I was told there would be seed."
A disappointed Tufted Titmouse, checking out the jelly feeder. Interestingly enough, I have seen Chickadees going for the jelly yesterday.