Video: Sir Hoppy!
Sir Hoppy Swiftfoot, the resident snow bun, has been checking out the area around the bird bath more frequently recently. There is no seed there, and he does not seem to drink, so I am not sure why he likes the spot. But I love that he does :D The cam captured him during the day and at night.
Video: BBs at the bath
The Bluebirds are currently loving the bird bath and come for sips and dips regularly throughout the day.
They are pretty always but look particularly nice against the snow backdrop. New photos tonight or tomorrow morning :) Have a happy Tuesday!
Livestream is back up!
There is a lot of snow and it is cold but the livestream is back. You can find it here in the livestream section. I know Germany also has very wintery weather right now, and I am sending warm greetings! Stay warm, everyone!
European Starlings have a reputation
of carrying disease and being “dirty birds”. Funnily enough, right now, they seem to be one of the cleanliest birds around. They take daily baths even in freezing temperatures, and then look rather funny with frozen feather tips. Because of them, I’ve had to refill and clean the bird bath almost every day during this cold spell.
Happy 2021!
There was a lot of traffic at the bird bath today, and seemingly some birds are adhering to the tradition of the “New Year’s Dip” to greet the new year. Or it is just Lagertha, showing why she proudly carries her Viking name. The MoDos and Juncos loved my little sign so much that they sat on it and messed it up. I hope you all had a nice and smooth last night of 2020.
Here’s to many new adventures and a fantastic new year!
Video: Chipping Sparrows at the pond
A group of Chippers has landed in the yard this morning, and made good use of the bath. These are native Sparrows in the US, tiny cute little things that are fun to have around.
Video: White-crowned Sparrows
A nice little fall migration surprise this morning. There was also a White-throated Sparrow earlier. I only see these birds during migration times, so it is always special when they are around. They are larger than the average sparrow and have a pretty call as well.
Video: “Crowing” Blue Jay
Friday is finally here, and this Blue Jay couldn’t have heralded it
in a more perfect way.
Video: MoDo at the bath
Now that there is not as much action at the bath anymore because it is getting cooler, I thought it would be fun to change the focus of the bath cam a bit towards the edge. This MoDo couldn’t help itself and had to show off.
Video: female Scarlet Tanager
What a nice surprise yesterday, a female Scarlet Tanager showed up at the bird bath. These birds are so cool looking, and I only ever saw two males from very far away. (the other birds are a Mourning Dove and a Brown-headed Cowbird)
Video: Nightly pond visitor
The pond has been there for a while now, but there are still fun surprises like A FROG! 😁 It feels good to know that we created a habitat. I hope he is hungry!
Video: More Cardinal babies!
Much to my delight, the Cardinals in my yard seem to have at least three babies! I have seen all three together, but here is the male from this morning and the two females from last night, getting fed by Dad at the pond. I just love them so much, and as I said yesterday, they are really hard to take photos of, so it makes me extra happy to see them explore in a more natural setting than just by a pile of seeds. Keep an eye on the livestream, it is very hot today, they might just pay a visit.
Video: Cardinal siblings!
As you know, I saw a Cardi girl being fed by papa the other day, and then there was also a couple feeding a Cowbird baby. But yesterday, this adorable sibling couple showed up at the bird bath. First she comes in, then her brother joins. They are so very hard to take photos of because they are very skittish and so well camouflaged. I especially love the males with the red coming in in the most adventurous ways. Their beak color changes to the typical red when they are one year old. (Yes, the lens is dirty and they are out of focus but I still love this video, so I wanted to share.)
Video: Rose-breasted Grosbeak family at the bath
This was so cute this morning. Papa Grosbeak is taking his son to the pool and feeding him. And then both bathe. I made a little platform area by the waterfall for the smaller birds, and the babies seem to like it to get a first feel for the pool. There are so many baby birds around at the moment, it should be fun to watch the livestream for the next couple of days. I promise I will try to keep up with wiping the splash shield.
Video: baby Robin getting fed by the pool
The pond is closed for maintenance today, but here is a scene from yesterday to hold you over. This Robin baby is fairly new, the residents around here recently have had another clutch. It reminded me of old times when we went to the public pool or lake and then, still cold from the swim, got wrapped into a towel and received a snack from mom. Fries were extra special but cookies were awesome too.
Video: baby Oriole and Blue Jay
The yard is full of baby Orioles today, and like other bird parents, also theirs seem to love "parking" them at the bird bath. This one was brave, went in and stood it's ground against a big Blue Jay.
Video: King of the Yard at the bath
A royal bath in the evening light, and the King of the Yard went all by himself.
Video: Mr. Flicker takes a bath.
This morning, a Northern Flicker came to the bird bath. I think they are one of the most beautiful birds around here but they never come to my feeders - they prefer drilling the lawn for ants. So I was delighted to watch him. With his short woodpecker legs, he seemed to have some issues with the pebbles, but he still made it work. I hope he comes back. (The male can be distinguished from the female by his “mustache”. The female doesn’t have that.)
Video: Wilhelm von Grack is back!
Wilhelm von Grack is back 😁 He has grown quite a bit since I saw him last, and here he watches a Redwinged Blackbird bathe. I was wondering why I only saw one Grackle baby and then none anymore, so I am happy to see him back. I hope this means more baby birds are in the pipeline now.
