Video: Happy National Hummingbird Day!
How befitting on this date because I am seeing more Hummingbirds than all season. This little love came for a very relaxed sip today at around 11 am. I left it uncut because it is fun to see him go and look around, show off his tongue and also how cool his plumage looks with all those shades of green. I say he because I think this is a young male because I think I spot some kind of “beard shadow” but I am not sure. I keep hoping for one with a single red feather shooting in, we will see.
50 Shades of Orange
There was a lot of Oriole traffic yesterday, so much that I decided to prep one of the photo cams with jelly to get some more photos. So here’s your hump day dose of Vitamin O 😁 They are so diverse and pretty, I can hardly choose a favorite. These are males and females, younger as well as adults. Basically the whole Baltimore Oriole range. They will soon move on and I am going to miss them.
Video: Hummer fun!
Yellow jackets and Bald-faced hornets get sugar hungry towards the end of the season and can spoil the fun for birdwatchers as well as birds. At least for the Hummingbirds, I find these dish-style feeders a great solution to keep stinger insect devil at bay. These feeders do not leak, and they are quick and easy to clean. On top of that, the birds seem to like them too. There is not really much else happening, so I am enjoying the tiny winged jewels to the fullest. Come good into the week!
Things have gone
very quiet in the last two days, and the backyard feels almost deserted. There are still Doves and Blue Jays and some Chickadees and Finches, but somehow it is like everyone left abruptly. It is nice after the frenzy of the summer but it also feels strange. However, whenever I go to forage in the garden, I can hear the adorable squawks of the Titmice, and I see Hummingbirds buzzing around, checking out the flowers and feeders, and it makes me happy and content. It is nice to have a bit of a break. The Hummingbird in the photo appears to be a young male with the gorget just starting to come in. I hope he stays around for a bit and develops at least one red feather there. Have a great Wednesday!
It is always great
to get a new wave of summer guests when the season comes to an end. Orioles are starting to be on the move, and some from farther north are passing through on their way to their winter quarters. This one came very early today, and it looks very unusual with this really intense vibrancy. It looks like it could be a young male, with some of the darker head and neck markings coming through too. I hope it sticks around for a bit, I also prepped a photo cam with jelly today.
Video: Evening Grosbeak
WOHOOOO!!! This is an Evening Grosbeak, and the first male of this species that I ever knowingly had in my yard. (I had a female in 2018). They are having an irruption year, and everybody around me seemingly got them for weeks now, just not me. I am so happy right now, and I hope he brings his family 😀
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!
There's a new kid on the block!
Today, I spotted a bird at the feeders that I thought looked unusual. I grabbed the camera to get a closer look and snap some photos. Well, as it turns out, this is a juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker. I have only ever seen one one time, and that was in northern Michigan. It is a very elegant and beautiful species, and I am so happy about this. He liked the seed cylinder, so I quickly changed the Birdsy setup to try and capture some video of him too. I hope you enjoy.
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.
I don't know why,
but for some reason my yard has been flooded with Blue Jays in the last two days. It must be a large family group that is migrating a bit farther south.
I think the Chickadees
are happy they found some allies of equal size now that the yard has calmed down for the fall. And I am so happy about the Red-breasted Nuthatches! I spotted two of them on the big tree today.
Video: FOY Red-breasted Nuthatch :D
I didn’t have any of these little guys last year, and then heard that the reason was that they had ample food sources farther north last year, so they didn’t need to come south for the winter. Well, they are back and I am so glad. Red-breasted Nuthatches are very entertaining to have around, they sound like mini-beatboxes and are one of the tamest birds I have ever met.
Nothing much going on
except for Blue Jays and Mourning Doves these days, so this Robin was a lovely surprise. In some parts of Michigan, they stay during the winter, but where I live, they leave and come back in spring.
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)
Posing twins!
It was funny how similar this Redbellied Woodpecker lady and the Grackles were in front of the camera.
The Grackles have mostly left for their winter quarters but some are still passing through. This season seemed so short for some reason, and I am going to miss them.
Video: two Hummers in the rain
It was cold and rainy this morning, feeling like autumn. Yet, the Hummingbirds are still coming. The lens was wet but I thought this was so cool to watch and listen to. My favorite part is at the 10 second mark haha
Keep those feeders up and clean to help the migrants that might be passing through your area!
Someone's getting pudgy!
I noticed that the Hummingbirds that came to the Birdsy feeder just quickly checked things out and never sat down. It was as if they couldn’t figure out the feeder. I thought it might be because they are not used to the insect guards, so I have removed them now and try to keep the nectar level low so the wasps cannot reach in. This seems to have worked - this little guy sat right down for two minutes.
