Redbellied Woodpeckers
are one of the year-round residents in my yard, and they are cherished because of their goofy personality and their stunning looks. There appear to be several males around. All are once again beautiful after the molt, and there are some subtle ways I can tell them apart. In these photos, you can see that one has a more pale red spot right above the beak. The other one is all vibrant there. You can also see a bit of the name-giving “red belly”. I have always enjoyed seeing them up close because there is so much going on color-wise, from the red eyes to the blushed cheeks, the differently shaded chest to the black and white back. Another way to tell them apart is to watch them drink. One of them produces a lot of saliva, while the other does not.
This makes me so happy!
In recent days, the Chickadees and Redbreasted Nuthatches have started taking over, and especially the latter leave me standing with a big grin on my face because they are so cheery, loud and adorable. But wait, there’s more! The Tufted Titmice are back too! One of the custest birds we have here, looking like straight out of a Disney movie, with also one of the best calls - PETERPETERPETER! I hope they stick around, I love these guys so much.
The light has been changing,
and in the evenings, can create a wonderfully peaceful atmosphere. The MoDos are natural born posers, and this one played the cam like a pro. The Blue Jay one I loved because it is so opposite of their usual rather noisy character. As a bonus, another one of Forrest, the groundhog. I love the details in his coat, he even has hair on his fingers. Happy October! I hope you have a pleasant Saturday.
But there are of course
also still birds around. Apart from the large, lazy MoDo family, there are Blue Jays, Downy, Hairy and Redbellied Woodpeckers, Nuthatches (Red- and white-breasted), Finches, the occasional Grackle and Robin, Chickadees and Cardinals. I wish the youngsters of the latter would love the camera as much as their mother. But there is always a nice group of them visiting the bird bath in the evenings. So I am not really complaining but I hope that there will be some fun new visitors here soon. The video is a hawk attack that happened earlier. I still have two hummingbird feeders up because I have seen a couple every other day this week. The stragglers will be happy for some noms on their way south. Come good into the weekend!
Nothing much is happening,
but I am having a good weekend with very little work for a change. I got some knitting and watching tv done, which I usually do not have a lot of time for. I have had to wear socks for the last two days, it has gotten cooler. And things are slow in the yard. But there are some new visitors. The Red-breasted Nuthatches are here, and I am so happy because they are a complete delight. They sound like little beat boxes and have little to no fear of humans. I walked up to feeders earlier today and just watched with a big grin how they were watching me, doing their noises. A perfectly wonderful bird to cure the little void birdwatchers feel after the summer frenzy.
The light is changing,
the evenings are getting cooler, and there is still not much going on bird-wise. Yesterday I saw the Bluebirds, which was wonderful because it’s been quite a while. At least two Redbreasted Nuthatches have emerged and are competing with the Chickadees for material that is worthy to cache for the winter. I like the light at this time of the year because it feels less harsh. Here are some of the current regulars, look at that Woodpecker, all nice and pretty again! Have a great Tuesday.
The molting continues.
There are still flocks of adventurous looking Cowbirds passing through, along with Grackles and Starlings. Many of the Blue Jays are also still looking rather rough, but the weather is nice enough so they will not be cold. The Goldfinches have come back, bringing their adorable and excited youngsters, and they are beginning to molt into their winter feathers. The resident Cardi family also has made it through the summer fine, they have at least two young ones but except for this female, they are all camera shy. Hopefully in the coming weeks I can get one of the babies to check a camera out. Come good into Saturday!
Birds are clearly on the move,
and diversity has gone down to pretty much House Finches, MoDos, Blue Jays and Chickadees. But there are still some Gracks too. This is a nice time for the wallet, and I totally love the temperatures outside. I saw a Downy starting to pull things out of the Wren house, so hopefully there will be a roosting winter tenant there. We are all settling in a bit, I will start working on the 2023 calendar, and I hope there will be some fun fall migration sights.
Now is a time
where it feels good to slowly say goodbye to summer. The Orioles have left, I saw the last one three days ago. There are still hummingbirds coming but the nights are getting colder and there is no denying that fall is approaching quickly. I am trying to enjoy the last of the veggie garden that went to bad this year because of the lack of rain, and I am enjoying the relative calm in regards to birds, even if it is a bit boring. The Bluebird family has not returned yet but I hope to see them soon. And in the meantime I am trying to think up fall and winter camera setups. A good time to post MoDos. They are molting and exhibit some interesting looks.
There is really no bird
that I see more often misidentified than this one, and I had my issues in the beginning too. All of these are the same species a Brownheaded Cowbird. The first two are youngsters. A juvenile that is morphing into adult feathers, a stage that I love, it looks so cool because they all have different markings. The one next to it is a baby, and I was a little surprised to see that yesterday, so late in the season. The pink edges of the beak, the speckled brown feathers and the cute appearance are tells. The other two are adults - a female and a male. They get a bad reputation but are fascinating native birds and do not act out of malice. If you are interested to learn more about them, Audubon has a great article about them here.
And since things are calmer now,
with many of the summer guests gone, the regulars and smaller birds are starting to return to feeders. As sad as fall migration makes me, it is also nice that things are calming down a bit. There is still lovely weather ahead of us and of course the migration may still hold surprises too. This is also a good time to see the Goldfinches in their bright summer colors before they start to dull for the cold season.
The Grackles
have largely started to migrate, but some are still hanging around or traveling with the flocks of Cowbirds and Starlings that are passing through. The teens of the season are now starting to change into their adult feathers, with some really cool looking color combinations, and many of the adults are also starting to grow back their feathers after the molt.
These are funky times
when it comes to bird appearance. Everybody is molting to a certain degree but the Blue Jays are looking the roughest. However, we are now past the chicken skin naked phase and new feathers are starting to show. I just love this wild mix of textures and colors.
I am getting spoiled
with hummingbird visits right now. It is wonderful and makes up for the beginning of the season. There are several individuals. I have three feeding stations around the yard as well as flowers and vines. There seem to be two adult males, the teen and then several females. I can tell the males apart because one of them is molting and the other is not. Their red gorget is awesomely vibrant when they move one way, and elegantly black when they look the other way. The photos show the two adult males, the video is the teen.
And of course
I am trying to capture more Hummingbird photos while they are around. They are still the most magical little creatures to me and I am very happy to finally see a bit more of them. There seem to be at least three individuals. Two females and the male with the red feather. Below are the two females. The first one came right after a rain shower and has wet head feathers. I am also livestreaming two hummer feeders on BirdsyTV on my channel Ostdrossel3 there: https://birdsy.com/c/Ostdrossel3
The end of the summer
is always bittersweet but when fall migration has started, the backyard becomes alive with flocks of travelers. Some are just stopping for a short break while others stay for a couple of days. This is the case with Baltimore Orioles right now. I have added an extra jelly feeder, and the cups need to be refilled several times a day now (I also clean the cups with each refill). It is always wonderful to see the full spectrum of color variations at display when indivisuals of various ages come together. And in between, the Robins, Woodpeckers and Finches (the one pictures has a very interesting molt going on) also get their share.
Yesterday was a great day
because all of a sudden, I saw more Hummingbird activity than the whole season. There were at least two that were visiting all day. I think they are both young, a male and a female. The male is especially funny, he needed some time to fiigure out feeders. But he is also a super ham. And just turning into a man - with two tiny red specks on his throat, the beginnings of what gives the Rubythroated Hummingbird its name.
When the beakstick is right
it does not matter that you are also looking a little rough from raising your brood. I love that the Cardis are coming back to the cameras. Stay sharp and come good into the weekend!
There are still
lots of young birds around, and the majority of them are Blue Jays. Many of them are hopping around by themselves already, but there are also still some that beg the parents for food. Others have already learned how to look judgy into the camera. And of course there is Frazzle. Doing what everyone else is doing except for growing head feathers. Such a cute little stinker.
Molt aesthetic.
When I saw my first molting bird, I was nervous that it would be sick. It is not always pleasant to look at when it happens, especially since birds usually look so perfectly groomed. Over the years, however, I have come to think that the molt gives the birds a certain grace and dignity, and it also does look beautiful in a certain way. I love the exposed skin on the Grack faces that makes them look like knights, and also the chicken skin of the Blue Jay, the beauty of the newly emerging feathers, and the lovely mix of young and adult feathers in teen birds.
