A nice little surprise
during these rather dull times at the feeders was this Pine Siskin today (in the second pic, there is also a Goldfinch). I used to have lots during the cold season but none in the last two years. Due to the irruption, they are back in lower Michigan, but I haven’t seen larger numbers. They are feisty and entertaining little bird, and I hope there will be more. and that they tell their northern friends the Evening Grosbeaks of my yard.
One more time...
Because it is so important. Please make your voice heard, go and vote! And be safe tomorrow.
Eastern Bluebirds
can be trained to come at your signal if you feed live mealworms. I have done that before and made the neighbors laugh a lot… Now they have their own caged feeder for the mealies and come and go as they please, with the occasional stop at the camera feeder. Here is a male. I like to think it is Ragnar from this summer.
I hope you all have a lovely weekend! Please make sure to know how to vote if you haven’t yet. Iwillvote.com has all the info you need.
Every walk to refill the feeders
currently happens with a stop to watch one of these guys, Red-breasted Nuthatches. I am fascinated by the fearlessness of these tiny birds and thankful that they let me look at them in such close distance. They make me smile every time I see them, and I think they are doing the same to the rest of Michigan. This is the female. She looks a bit rough, but appears very active and healthy otherwise.
Since we are talking couples,
here’s the King and Queen of the Yard. I know in reality there are more than two, and they love to go to the bath in the early mornings and late evenings. It is going to be fun to see them all against a snowy backdrop.
Days with rain
or snow have bad lighting but I love them still because they draw the birds to the feeders and make them look more interesting. Here we have Peanut and Hazel, the Red-bellied Woodpeckers. She has been a very frequent visitor lately but he only made rare appearances. You can nicely see the name-giving belly. (She has the grey forehead.)
Amongst the several Titmice
that are here right now, there is one that is more distinguishable than the others, it looks like it has eyeliner on. It is the one in the middle. They are all very good at guilt-tripping! Don’t let that get to you though, I hope you all have a fantastic start into the week.
The Chickadees
have so much personality, I love walking around the backard, hearing their little twits as they follow me along. And they seem to at least try to be friendly with the other birds.
Blue Jay activity,
along with that of the MoDos, has never gone down. I think by now they are used to the squeak of the door that indicates me coming out. They sit in the trees, waiting to see where I refill, and then come down to scream and try to get as many peanuts as possible before a rival arrives.
The season is changing
and things have slowed down a lot. As you might have seen, I have winterized the bird bath, and there is a lot less activity. So we are all settling in, socially distancing, keeping safe, sane and healthy, and I hope you do too. Here is a Grack to help you into the weekend. Please make sure you vote.
The King of the Yard
is just checking in to make sure you have a good day. There is a whole group of Cardinals here now, and the males have all varying degrees of red on them. I am really fond of this look with the greys in it.
The Starlings
have been back, and some of them are still molting into their adult feathers, as can be seen by the remnants of the brown baby feathers around the head.
So many Chickadees!
They are intermingling with the small Nuthatches and the Titmice, and are all over the feeders, cacheing for colder days.
The Coneheads
Titmouse, Blue Jay and female Cardi were on high alert and on top of their hair game.
My new friend,
the Red-headed Woodpecker, seems to have moved on from his brief visit to my yard. I have not seen him yesterday or today. I am happy I got to meet this gorgeous bird, and I hope he will come back at some point. Someone suggested the name Roland, and I think this fits. Safe travels, Roland!
Ladies and gents...
It is always nice to see the different appearances of male and female birds. Some of them are more striking, like the Cardinals, others are more subtle, like the Bluebirds. I personally find them equally beautiful.
(The males are in the middle)
He is not camera shy...
This is my new favorite bird! I wonder if he is coming back tomorrow, but I am thinking about a name for him right now. Such a gorgeous goofball, I am in love!
