The weather
has been gloomy and wet these last couple of days, and there is still not a lot going on. So I am taking this time to introduce the birds of this year’s calendar a bit over the course of the next days / weeks. The title photo this year shows a Cardinal couple. As one can also see from the sparse vegetation in the back, this was taken in spring. Cardinals are in my yard throughout the year but in spring they start appearing together more often because mating season begins. Part of their courting ritual is that the male is feeding the female. It kind of looks like they are kissing, and is always wonderful to behold. This photo was part of a series in which he fed her several times. I love how pretty they both look, it is no comparison to the rough molty look at the end of the season. Come good into the weekend!
The Ostdrossel 2022 calendars are available here.
As I promised,
here are some more Bluebird photos. And it is funny, but sometimes I feel like my setup was just made for them, they usually get the best shots and videos. It might be their size but maybe also their behavior. They seemingly like to sit and examine. With resting birb face 🤣 The second to last photo nicely shows the color difference between male (left) and female (right) 💙
Like many other parts of the country,
we got a lot of rain yesterday. The birds got properly sokaed but many flocked to the feeders, even for “seed soup”. When you have larger feeders that are exposed to rain or moisture, make sure to check for signs of mold and change out the food and clean the feeders accordingly. I loved the eerie quality of this Goldfinch photo.
MONDAY's (almost) HERE!
The BBs have returned every single day since they first started showing up again the other week. There is four of them, and they always go straight for the nestbox and excitedly sit and move around it, taking turns on looking in, and also go to the mealworm feeder. I am short on mealers right now but whenever I notice them, I will add a couple to the cam feeders. Curiously enough, the Starlings almost immediately show up too. How do they freaking know?! More BB pics tomorrow. Nighty and come good into the week!
Yesterday, we had the first frost warning
of the season, and it is only fitting that on that day, a “snowbird” made his way to the camera. Dark-Eyed Juncos only visit here when it is cold, and the first ones have arrived earlier this week. They make the funniest little noises and are generally cool to have around. Pic number 3 shows a White-throated Sparrow that has been very curious but not made it to the food bowl yet. Maybe today is the day? Happy Sunday and stay warm!
Today was a good day!
Something happened that I have been wishing to happen for as long as I have done this whole experiment. As you know I have been “stalking” a certain Cardinal teen, but he was not cooperating the way I wanted. Well, that ended today, and I present you him in all his polka dotted teenage glory. 😍 A White-throated Sparrow and several Juncos have also checked out the same area today, so I will place a camera there again tomorrow. But I am so happy to see his beauty up close finally! Young Cardinals are camouflaged and only start to get more color as they age. The beak turns to the characteristic orange-red when they are one year old. In the meantime, the plumage will pick up more and more red with the males. So there is only a certain time when they look like this. I love him!
I am sorry for not posting more frequently
right now, but work is busy and there is also not really a ton going on bird-wise. Nature is amazing right now and providing a lot of food to birds and wildlife. It is a bumper crop year for Black Walnuts and acorns here, and I am excited to see what that means for the winter bird population. Here is a view into the current regulars, furried and feathered. Also, since it is Thursday - check out the Ostdrossel calendars!
I don't know if it is really them,
but I think Dr. Clara and Mandrake came back! The Bluebirds are somewhat camera shy and I feel horrible still because of the Wren debacle but this morning, they were back! A group of four! They checked out the nestbox and Mandrake (I will call the resident male that this year) even came to the food bowl. I always have mealworms out for them but they haven’t been touched in months. I hope they will come back and stay as it gets colder. I also saw the first Juncos today. Fall is really here. Happy Monday!
The regulars
are all hanging in there despite the rain and muddy atmosphere outside, and here are some of them. The Blue Jays are giving their nickname that I gave them, blue screemers, full worth, and sometimes I am not sure what is even going on - are they screaming because they see food? Haha. Then there is a House Finch and a Chickadee. Come good into the weekend!
Today when I went outside,
it sounded like spring, there were Robin calls, Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Cardinals and Starlings. There is a place nearby that has a mature Cedar tree, and I have checked it a couple of weeks ago to see how far the berries were, and I went there today again. The tree was basically covered in happy Robins, and it also had some Cedar Waxwings sprinkled in. I will go back to try and get some Waxwing goodness. Here is a photo of the teen Cardinal too, he posed just outside my window today, and a Whitecrowned Sparrow was at the bath!
Despite my earlier musings,
today turned out a fabulous day for a birdwatcher! The Bluebirds were back at the nestbox, there was a Red-winged Blackbird, and a Grackle and even a Tanager! I am not sure what kind of Tanager but I lean towards Scarlet. Sorry for the bad pic, this is what my DSLR photos look like 😜 Must have been a big migration day today!
Race-car stripe birb is back,
and I am so happy because I love these guys! I have seen and heard the Red-breasted Nuthatches for a bit now, and today, one went for the cam. These birds are cold season birds around here, and they are one of the most entertaining and tame feathered friends I have come across. They are super vocal too, and when you hear something that sounds like a beatbox, you might have a Red-breasted Nuthatch in your yard.
As I mentioned the other day,
a Downy Woodpecker lady had started to roost in the Bluebird box. This happens every other year, and they will stay for a while but never have all winter. She goes to bed at around 6.30 pm every evening and gets up at around 7.40 in the morning. Like clockwork, day after day. Here she is coming for dinner before going to rest for the night. The male is still checking out the other box but has not spent a night yet.
Have a sweet night!
Are you someone
who talks to the beings around them? I am. I talk to the resident (indoor) cat goddess, I talk to the Groundhog when I see him running, I talk to the plants and I also talk to the birds. These two here are currently the most vocal. The baby Goldfinches are all over the place, excitedly talking to their parents, and the Red-bellied Woodpecker lady is just like me in a car in heavy traffic 😆 She wants to eat in peace but there are so many others who annoy.
The 2022 calendar is here!
Hello, dear followers, I proudly present the 2022 Ostdrossel calendar. I have to admid that it was tough to go through the photos of the year to narrow the selection down but I think it worked out nicely in the end. There is an early bird special going on for the next couple of days, too. I will introduce the monthly species in the coming weeks as well.
They come in three formats and four sizes. There is a rectangle wall calendar in two sizes, a 12 x 12 wall calendar and a desk calendar. Only the wall calendars have the species names on the back.
Link to shop: https://www.createphotocalendars.com/Shop/ostdrossel
(Please note, all orders are made on demand and handled by that website.)
Have a beautiful Monday and week!
Robins are the state bird of Michigan,
but they do migrate too, even if just within the state. I love Robins because they are a lot of fun to watch and listen to but also because they remind me a lot of a European bird I love, the Eurasian Blackbird. American Robins look basically like them but have a lot more color going on. I did not see any for a while but right now, a group is visiting, exploring the feeders, searching the lawn and taking baths.
As we are diving deeper
into those golden light evenings, temperatures are becoming noticeably cooler and the plants are starting to wilt. I am happy for every sun ray, trying to soak it all up before winter. The birds forage seed pods and nuts and fruit in nature, so activity is still down but it is normal for the season. Here is the current crew, and imagine a Downy Woodpeckerine happily snoozing in the BB box.
I am always a bit restless during these quieter times but they are also very useful because they give me time to work on the 2022 calendar.
(pictured: Goldfinch, female Redbellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, young MoDo, House Finch, Chickadee)
I love the little surprises
that are always possible during migration times and even normal times. Yesterday, Count Grackula made a surprise visit to the yard! It has been what feels like a month since I last saw a Grackle, so this was wonderful to see. He didn’t stay long but he found some nutrition for his travels here. Today it is once again raining, so yesterday was a great day to travel for a migrating bird.
And from big to small, the rough looking cutie is a molting Goldfinch. You can still see the bright and vibrant yellow of their summer feathers but the milder brownish tones of their winter plumage are coming in too.
Fall is here!
And the weather was appropriate for the occasion. It has been storming and raining nonstop since last night, and I actually made a beef roast today because it felt so fallsy. Funnily enough, I also spotted two Hummingbirds. The end of September can be fun and interesting but apart from those few lucky encounters it has basically been MoDo season here for a bit now. They are fun and goofy and all but I feel like it is time to adjust feeders and food for a bit again to discourage them from flocking here because they keep all the other birds away.
Backyard life
is still slow, variety is low, and many birds are using the remaining warmer days to grow new feathers. What you see on the MoDo’s head are the new feathers. I personally love it, "disheveled" is also my kind of pandemic style 😏 The Goldfinches have returned though, and the squeaky sounds of their adorable babies are filling the air. It is quite stormy today, which will help the migrants. And I hope some surprise visitors will pass through on their journey. Yesterday, I did see a Pine Warbler but it didn’t come to the cameras. Maybe today?
