The little man
continues to elude me! Even the Blue Jay pep talk could not convince him to check out the bowl.
So curious!
The titmice keep coming, yesterday I saw three! And I am crossing my fingers that they like my yard and will keep me company throughout the winter.
The Goldfinches
have also started to come back. And they are still raising babies. Here is one of the youngsters that came to explore the feeders. They make the most enjoyable little noises.
Molting House Finches
have such interesting textures, patterns and colors going on with. The one with the orange beak base is a youngster, and I think the one that I have been seeing and thought to be a female for a while.
This is not a super photo,
but here is momma Cardi with her youngster in the back. I have been trying to get the youngsters to the camera but they are so skittish, so this is the most I was able to get so far. I am not giving up yet.
I am so delighted
about the Titmice. Maybe they are just here temporarily, but maybe they will stay throughout the cold season as they used to have before they stopped coming. I am also seeing more Chickadees. The Titmouse is a young bird, and just judging from the perfect appearance of the Chickie, I am thinking he might be as well.
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”.
But with fall migration
some birds that have not been so present all summer are coming back, like the Nuthatches and Chickadees. I am keeping my eyes peeled for a Purple Finch, Evening Grosbeak or Redbreasted Nuthatch who might pass through / come to stay for the fall and winter, and am thinking about possible feeder and bath setups for the cold season.
The Orioles
have started to leave, but as of today, there are still some coming. The jelly vanishes more slowly now, but I am still keeping a dish full out for them. These two are from the weekend. Fall migration is always a bit sad. The winter birds are fun too but they are nowhere near as vibrant as the summer crowd.
The flowery thicket
also seems to be preferred by Blue Jays who do not like to be all out in the open with new feathers exposing their skin. I especially liked the light in the second photo. I know it is not a good photo by photography standards or super focused but thecolors and contrasts are pretty pretty.
This sweet little man
is still coming around regularly to get strong and pretty for the journey to his winter quarters. The white spots on his belly are the sheaths that house the new feathers.
Squirrel break!
I heard the young Cardinals calling again yesterday, so I thought I would put the camera on the ground to see if I could capture them. Well, look who got busted :D I really enjoy that background, and the squirrels also contribute to the garden by planting sunflowers all over the place, so they deserve representation here too.
Now that the feeders
are slowly getting a little calmer, the regulars make more frequent appearances and re-occupy the yard. Like the King and Queen of the Yard. He looks a bit rough around the edges but he will soon be all pretty, just like his partner. Have a great start into the weekend!
As it turns out,
Chuck seems to be a girl! The mottled back forehead is starting to lighten up and making room for the characteristical grey and red of the females. The males have an all red head cap. I am still amazed at how quickly birds are growing and maturing.
This young House Finch
still has the orange beak base of the babies but is already growing red feathers. With the House Finches, you can also tell the babies apart from afar because they have the most adorable poses and movements.
Ragnar and Lagertha
and their brood have been pretty much absent since the last set of babies fledged. I have heard them in the trees and seen them hunting nearby though, so I hope they will be visiting more frequently when it cools down. Last night, one of the first babies showed up, in all it’s teenage feather glory.
