These guys are not the same species,
but they look like kindred spirits and I loved the color combo. Teenage Gracks have the coolest colors going on.
Fall migration
seems to have slowly begun, but there are still Orioles visiting, so keep those feeders clean and filled.
A teenage Starling
looking into your soul. (They do have quite “human” eyes somehow, don’t they?)
More hummingbirds!
And I think this might be a young male because I see a teensy hint of red coming in at the neck (I added an arrow pointing to it in the second photo). I love his fuzzy little legs. I am not sure if the second one is the same bird. The light was different and I cannot see the red but otherwise they look pretty much identical with the little bulge on the neck and the black feathers in front of the eye.
MoDo faces
The Mourning Doves in my yard seem to absolutely love the camera. This can be funny fr stuff like these portraits but it can also be a bit bothersome because they can hog a feeder and prevent other birds to get to it. Also in quite an aggressive fashion, as I have witnessed. I am currently considering to set up a mock camera feeder just for them. With a box, a box and a little hand mirror. I’ll let you know if it works.
Madame Queen Red Eyebrow
Even ruffled, she is a beauty. I love it that the Cardinals have started to come back a bit more. They have been mostly camera shy all summer.
Family portrait time
for the Grackles. As you can see, no one was able to stay still, but at least these photos capture the Grack spirit perfectly, and I loved how the baby was mimicking the parent.
The Hummingbird feeders
are of great interest not just for the Hummingbirds. I am experimenting with different setups, and I can be sure that there will always be an Oriole visiting too. They are such goofballs.
This Hummingbird
finally got over their fear of the camera box and took some sips from the feeder. I am thinking this is a female but the throat somehow looks as if it could just as well be a young male. I am still amazed by their delicate beauty and the colors in their tiny feathers.
Some birds
are beginning to flock already but I still have lots and lots of Orioles. There are some males, but the majority are immatures. It always makes me extra happy to see how successful Orioles are at breeding. And that the youngsters are not camera shy at all.
This Grosbeak lady
is as good with her beak stick as I am with lip stick. Or maybe she is just trying to distract from the little molt around her eye.
Video: Ruby-throated Hummingbird
What a weird day today. It was hot and humid and looked like 5 pm all day, and the lens fogged up. But a Hummerman came! I slowed the video down a lot to show off his cool manoeuvers.
We got rain yesterday,
and the birds didn’t stop coming, so here is a gallery of feathered wet mops :D
(Robin, Grackle, Cardinal, Blue Jay)
A House Finch
sat pretty for a portrait in one of my favorite bird poses. Their color is depending on the things they eat. This one also seems to like red fruit as well as the grape jelly.
The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks
seem to be very into mulberries and grape jelly. I loved how they sat together for a quick photo.
Finally,
Finally, a Hummingbird on camera today! And a male to boot. They are so different this year. Very few, and the ones that I do see are super skittish. They go to a feeder, hover and check and then take off. We have some flowers but not a ton this year, things are still emerging, so I don't know what is going on. I am happy to see them every now and then but this is nowhere near previous years. Second pic I think is a House Wren. They seem to think the camera boxes are nestboxes 😂
