Many of the summer Blue Jays
have migrated (yes, even they do that but not as far as the typical migratory birds), but there is still a smaller group around. some of them are looking very scraggly but here is the proof that not all of them molt. Sometimes I get so used to their scruff that I almost forget how gorgeous and perfect they normally look 😄 Speaking of blue - I also heard a Bluebird sing this morning! Hopefully this means they will be around again soon. Happy Wednesday!
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.
I like it when they share,
even if they often do not seem to. Titmice and Chickadees often seem to hang out together but I guess peanut envy is a thing 😜 The House Finch looks unimpressed yet wary of the big (molting) MoDo, and the young Woodpecker appears to be more interested in the camera than the Goldfinch.
Look who it is!
In the last couple of days, I have heard that familiar Woodpecker chatter nearby, and I was hoping that my Woodpecker drought would soon be over. Well, it looks like it finally is. This guy came yesterday, and I think it is a young one from this summer that is just starting to molt into adult feathers. It is interesting how the bird populations fluctuate in general, but it all felt different this year and I was getting a bit worried. We had a lot of rain this summer though, and just guessing from my own garden I would say it is safe to assume that nature has an abundance of foods available right now. And I guess with birds coming and going things will never get boring either.
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.
And when the camera is on the ground,
non-winged creatures also find their way there. And this Groundhog seems to have had a blast 😆 Get something fun to eat and come good into the weekend!
Slow feeder times
are a good time to experiment a bit, especially since now there is still lush vegetation everywhere. So I put the camera back on the ground. The curious looks always make me giggle.
While I always
get a bit sad when barefoot weather comes to an end, I must admit that I am thoroughly enjoying the cooler temperatures and the smell of fall in the air. Things are still slow here but in the last two days, the Goldfinches have started to come back. They nest late in the season, and right now you can see them with their young ones. These two came to the feeder, and while I am sure they are both American Goldfinches, their very black wing bars look a bit unusual. Normally, there is more white to see there. I think the paler one is a molting young adult bird.
I hope you are not sick
of seeing Hummingbirds yet. Because here are some more from yesterday. I personally like this small feeder that we made ourselves because it centers the bird nicely in the frame, but as I mused before, it does not seem to be a favorite of the birds. However, yesterday, there was a very cooperative visitor, and I think maybe the regulars are snubbing me with the experimental feeders but the travelers are just hungry and go for anything. We had a big storm last night, which possibly helped migrants on their way south, so we will see how long the tiny winged jewels will still come here. I did see Orioles still yesterday too. If you want to follow bird migration along, check out https://birdcast.info, they have some really cool maps. Have a great Wednesday!
The weather
has turned from scorch and humidity to a pleasant warmth with a nice breeze. A good time to do some gardening and think about winter feeding options and the calendar for next year. There are Black Walnuts, Beech trees and oaks around, and I like to gather some foods “in the wild” to feed to the birds too. Here are the current regulars, minus House Finches and Sparrows, the occasional Oriole, and camera-shy Flickers and Cardinals. The MoDo came with a baby. Have a great Tuesday!
50 Shades of Orange
There was a lot of Oriole traffic yesterday, so much that I decided to prep one of the photo cams with jelly to get some more photos. So here’s your hump day dose of Vitamin O 😁 They are so diverse and pretty, I can hardly choose a favorite. These are males and females, younger as well as adults. Basically the whole Baltimore Oriole range. They will soon move on and I am going to miss them.
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!
Hummingbird activity
has picked up a bit recently after a rather slow season. I can tell at least three individuals apart. A molting female, a heavily molting male and a perfectly looking female. I am playing around with different feeders, and I personally prefer the tiniest one with the hole in the middle because it centers the bird in the frame. However, not all of them like this one. I have seen it even that they snubbed it all day only to come back right away when I changed it for the other one. So funny.
And here's a MoDo
showing a threatening pose. Probably because another bird was sitting on the camera box and the MoDo did not want to share. They lift their wings like sails and puff up their chests to look more impressive. If that does not help, they will also peck. Such goofballs. Have a pleasant Thursday and keep your sails down. Sharing is caring, especially when it comes to food.
The Red-bellied Woodpeckers
have been bringing their young ones to the yards in recent weeks, and I was only ever able to hear them, they sound like a high-pitched, sharp and excited whistle-woosh. Now yesterday, one of the babies finally dared to come to the camera. I love these “unfinished” woodpeckers, no matter what species, their babies are stinking adorable. In the coming weeks, it will become more clear if this is a male or a female when the feathers on the head begin to take more color. The males are all red while the females have a grey forehead and red cap.
Since I was so fascinated
with the intense Oriole the other day, I have tried to see if I can capture some photos of it too. Here it is, amongst other (male and female) Baltimore Orioles. It is so interesting to see how much they differ in color. Some of them are adults, others are molting into adult plumage. The photos were taken over the course of two days, so light and shadows vary a bit.
Everybody's molting,
and it’s quite the sight to behold. For smaller birds like Chickadees, Titmice and Bluebirds, the molting is also a good ID marker for the adults. The babies usually look all preppy and brandnew at the end of the season. Blue Jays and Grackles look most dramatic. Here we have: young Cowbird, Blue Jay, House Finch, Blue Jay, young Blue Jay and Grack. They all appreciate quality food and water during this time. The feathers will grow back and they will look like new soon again.
The backyard
is currently mostly occupied by these guys - young Blue Jays. They are loud, they are entertaining, they are adorable, all the while learning how to get around in life. The adults often mostly look alike except for the “necklace” part but the babies have very different looks, and I always love the variety. One of my favorite ones showed up the other day. Each year, there is at least one like it, and for some reason I find them extra cute. They have comparatively dark markings around the face, reminding me of a cartoon bandit. Others barely show any markings.
Over the course of the year,
I move my cameras around the yard to make use of more foliage and avoid direct sunshine into the lens. Sometimes the shadows can create magical little moments, like when this Starling sat there, waiting for the bowl to be refilled.
Dr. Clara and Mandrake
have not returned to the nestbox recently, but they are still hanging around, and with them are usually two to three young ones. This Bluebird season has been a bit less exciting than in previous years, which kind of fits the whole birdwatching summer this year, but I hope they stick around and will be frequent visitors in fall and winter, which is what they usually do.
