Last but not least,
after three Bluebird babies hatched yesterday, the fourth seems to have made it out this morning as well.
Mourning Doves
are so good with the couple photos. I swear they know what they are doing. They can be quite aggressive but always come across so serene in their photos.
The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks
have been coming steadily, but I haven’t seen any of their offspring yet. They must have a nest close by, a nest by spider webs, because this guy always has them on his head. The photo is partially blurry but I thought it was cool because it shows the red on the underside of the wings. The female is much more camouflaged but beautiful nevertheless. I love these birds.
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.
Power stance.
I know it is a repetitive pose, but I love it because they all have so much individual character.
(MoDo, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Blue jay, Grackle)
Video: female Rubythroated Hummingbird
This little Rubythroated Hummingbird lady showed up in the evening yesterday. She seems to have some difficulty with the insect guards that I put over the ports, so I took these off today to help her getting used to it. It also looks like she has some spider webs on her tail, so hopefully she is building a nest somewhere.
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.)
The Meow family
also seems to enjoy their time here. They are finding plenty of bugs and caterpillars, enjoy taking baths and judge you hard while sitting at the jelly trough.
The Orioles have returned!
After they arrived in large numbers in May, they soon seemed to disappear. Many people wondered where they went and if they would return. And yes, they do. They weren’t gone, they have been busy raising babies. Now they are back, enjoying the amenities of the “Ostdrossel spa” with all you can eat buffet and a huge pool. Soon enough, they will bring the babies too. I am always fascinated by the variety of their looks.
No Blue Jay babies yet,
but I spotted the first molting Blue Jay today. The birds are shedding their feathers and grow new ones. This is part of why I am happy to feed them also during the warm season, to help them staying healthy and looking pretty soon again. I also love the photos from molting time because they present cool insights into bird anatomy and give some really cool dramatic looks.
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.
Ostdrossel link to Birdsy Kickstarter
This is live now, and you can pledge to get yourself a Birdsy camera. Birdsy will record and monitor the wildlife in your garden with the help of AI. It will identify the birds and mammals that come to visit you, and save the videos in your own Birdsy account. There, you can watch your own livestream, save videos or share them with others. I have been using this system for about a year now, and I can tell you, it can become quite addictive :D Let me know if you have any questions.
To pledge, follow this link: https://birdsy-ai-records-and-ids.kckb.st/190e5d15
If you are interested in Birdsy,
go and sign up on their Kickstarter page. Birdsy launches TOMORROW, Mon June 15th 2020 at 11:30am EST. I will have special Ostdrossel links for you tomorrow as well. I am very excited for the Birdsy team, but also for all the birdwatchers who get to use Birdsy!
I guess nature listens
when I complain :D Yesterday, I saw two Hummingbirds again! Here is the male, showing off that beautiful ruby red throat. If you look closely, you can see that he has pollen on the beak too. My flowers aren’t really there yet, but it feels like things are finally picking up. I also saw a Cedar Waxwing on the bird bath twice in the last two days, and I hope it comes back and sticks around a bit more so there will be video. The internet issues with the live stream should be resolved now, too. Wohoo!
There are baby Robins
all over the yard right now, and they are so much fun to watch. They have a certain proud little man attitude that comes through in these photos too.
The Hummingbird situation this year
is so different from previous years. Usually, by now I would have regulars. Few, but still. This year, I am seeing very little Hummingbird activity at all. I don’t know if it is because of the big storm that happened when they migrated or because so many more people are home and putting feeders out, but I have been missing my hummers. Today, though, I have seen a female and a male! And the female was brave enough to go for the camera feeder. I hope they both return.
The nectar is fresh and the feeders are clean here - spread the word!
A perfect summer day at the pool.
A nice splash and a snack brought to you by your lover. These Blue Jays were so cute. (I know the lens was dirty. I need to find a solution for that.)
I am looking for the little surprises
when I go through the photos each day. There are many factors that determine who I might see. Time, placement of the camera and the kind of feed are some. Today, I played around a bit. And I got Mr. Meow, the Catbird who I now decided is my favorite bird this summer, a young Redwinged Blackbird whose markings I loved, and a House Wren that would refuse to be in focus or in full frame.
