The Grackles
for February are for one, yet another that came on a snowy day, and the judgy one with a very intense stare. Photos like the second one are why I decided to make a judgy Grack calendar, they just have the best poses, and the world needs to see them.
March and April
of the "regulars" calendar are a beautiful male Cardinal and a gorgeous Goldfinch in breeding plumage. Spring is my favorite season, I just love when everything sprouts and blooms and great things await. I forgot to post the February bird here yesterday, so that is here now, a Whitebreasted Nuthatch with a nice big peanut. You can get my calendars here: tinyurl.com/ff6bj43m
It's getting a bit late,
but I still wanted to take the time to introduce the calendar birds. There isn’t much else going on here right now anyways. Now as you know, this year I made three calendars, so there are three potential images to grace your quarters in January. For the “Grackles through the seasons”, you’ll get a beautiful and sceptical Grack whose feathers shine gloriously against the white background. The male House Finch is the January bird for the regulars calendar. I loved the head tilt and all that snow! Choice 3 is a judgy Grackle, also in the snow. I have added links to the calendars on my homepage here.
Bird activity remains slow
for this time of the year but I do enjoy having the Pine Siskins around. People seem to often mix them up with Goldfinches and House Finches, so I compiled some photos to show them from front and back. As I said before, good ID marks are Goldfinch size, pointy beak, yellow on sides and tail and a feisty spirit. The other two photos show a (very adorable) female House Finch.
I like
moving cams around when the weather isn’t muddy, it gives me insights into areas I can otherwise not watch. It’s not always exciting stuff but the different background and perspective is a nice change from the ordinary. Here are some of the visitors from yesterday, the furry ones are very happy 😆
And one more
for the House Finch file. I saw this one in the bushes today, and to my surprise, he visited a camera as well. I think he looks really cool with all the orange and some tiny bits of red creeping in. Come good into the week!
There is a leucistic Junco around,
and Birdsy has captured it on video (you can watch on my Youtube and my social mediachannels, video uploads are always a bit of a pain here) but so far I was not lucky with photos. I have set a camera on the ground in the thicket for that, and even if it did not lure in the Junco yet, it has still gotten some visitors. It almost feels like the birds need to learn to not be shy with my cameras again, it’s been so long since a Downy has visited. The Cardinal is one of several that are hanging around.
It is always so neat
to see how different individual birds of a species can look. With House Finches, the color and vibrancy of the males depends on what they eat. We have Mulberries and other red berries as well as Mountain Ash around here, and it feels like you can tell from these two. One has orange undertones and a more subdued red, while the other is mostly red and very vibrant. The stripes on the belly as well as the non-red wing bars are certain indicators that mark them as House Finches. Tomorrow is the last day of my calendar sale, make sure to get what you want in time.
Slim pickings still
this week but the Christmas deco is up and temps are going to go down soon. Here are some of the recent visitors. My calendars are all on sale this week, by the way - they are 15 % off and you can get them at the link on my home page and in my shop here.
December 1 on a Friday
is just as good as any occasion to post some Tufties. They’ve been very busy building their winter stashes, all the while entertaining with their looks and sounds. Have a fabulous weekend and stay warm!
I always find it interesting
how, along with vegetation, the light changes throughout the year, and each season has something special. And while the lushness of summer and spring are wonderful, the cold season also has some pretty aspects. The morning sun gives everything a magical glow while the afternoon sun creates lens flares that make otherwise more boring photos more fun.
As a lovely surprise,
the King and Queen of the Yard finally visited the photo setup again too. It was cloudy so things look a bit murky. Today, the sun is out, let’s hope they come back for more. Stay warm and have a fabulous Tuesday! If you’re shopping for Christmas presents, check out my calendars here.
I know it's not
everybody’s favorite but I cherish this current cold weather because it brought in the birds! The last two days have been awesome, with more activity than in the last few months. The female Purple Finch is still around, as well as a White-throated Sparrow. It felt like everybody stopped by to say Hi.
Today started
with very cold temperatures, and out of my bedroom window, I could spot Bluebirds, Nuthatches and a Brown Creeper, and I was so happy. None of the above came to the cam setups but other surprise visitors did - Pine Siskins, whom I only see here every other odd year. They are goldfinch size, have pointy beaks, Goldfinch temperament and some yellow on the wings.
The end of November
is usually marked here by plenty of visits from Nuthatches (White and Redbreasted), woodpeckers, Bluebirds, Chickadees and the regulars (MoDo, Blue Jay, Cardi, House Finches), but this year, bird activity is low with mostly the regulars. I guess there’s plenty to eat in the north so less have migrated. But there have been lots of feisty Goldfinches here lately. Come on, winter!
A couple of days
after the male, a female Purple Finch has arrived. She mingles with the Goldfinches and House Finches, and while she is not the perfect poser, she has given some cool views that helped me learn a bit more about them because I don’t think I ever had a female by the photo setups. I love to see all those yellow tones in her feathers, and I think she has the most beautiful markings.
On a side note - my calendars are on sale this entire week. I added a link to the shop here on my home page, check them out!
Another week
with mediocre bird activity has passed but there was a lot of sunshine, and it was nice to see the trees do their best to make everything glow before we now get into cooler temperatures. The Goldfinches have returned, now with more drab winter plumage, and the Blue Jays were ruling feeders.
In other news, Birdsy has cameras for pre-order available again, and for the first time will also be available in the UK. I use Birdsy cameras for videos and livestreaming. You can check out their offer on their website birdsy.com.
Last but not least - I seem to only sell calendars when they are on sale this year, so they will be on sale again next week. Come good into the weekend!
Early spring and fall
can be exiting times here because migration may bring in surprises. That happened this week, when one of my favorites showed up, a Purple Finch. They can be hard to identify when you haven’t seen one yet - many birders mistake vibrant House Finches for them. I have learned to not trust the color and follow my instict. Usually you can tell right away that this is a different bird. One mark that is easy to see and check for is the streaks / stripes on the lower belly. The House finch has them, the Purple does not.
Calendars on sale Nov 11-12
My calendars are on sale this weekend, there are three designs available, and they come in different formats.
All of these can be found in my shop. There is also a link to the shop on the landing page here at ostdrossel.com. Have a lovely Friday, everybody!
As November marches on,
it definitely feels like fall now but some of the trees still have leaves on, and temperatures are also still not really cold. The yard still is slim pickings when it comes to birds, but there are several Juncos around, I have seen Goldfinches again, and the Blue Jays continue to provide entertainment. I am ready for some snow.
