The Bluebirds
are showing some real interest in the Gilwood, they have been coming back every day to check it out and rearrange the wood shavings. I have seen her in there more often than him, which I take as a good sign. Yesterday, she jumped to the entrance and looked back down, jumped back down and looked back up, as if she was estimating the ceiling height. I built the box according to plans (here is a link, but I added a camera housing: Gilwood plans), so hopefully it fits her needs. Regardless of that she continues to crack me up with her grumpy little face.
Long time no Blue Jay!
Even if they have been present and are regulars here, shame on me. I always find it funny how these birds are seemingly greedy for food but at the same time alert everybody when the feeders have been replenished. Such goofballs! They look so similar from afar but there are distinctive differences between them. I especially love the ones with the dotted foreheads.
This time of the year
can be repetitive and a bit boring when it comes to backyard birds, but it is still fun to see the current regulars having a good time. There are many Goldfinches right now, the Chickadees are ever so present and adorable, and I wonder if the Juncos feel like they are on vacation.
It's Peanut!
What a fun surprise - I always have at least one Redbellied Woodpecker around, but in the last couple of months it was usually only a female. Today, however, he showed up. Male and female Redbellied Woodpeckers are easy to tell apart - the males have an all-red head cap while the females have a distinct blue-grey forehead. One might think they should be called Redheaded, but there is another majestic woodpecker with that name already. And you can see in this photo where the name comes from.
Video: BBs checking nestbox
These two have been coming back every so often recently, each time taking a piece of a wood shaving. I love to see them but it is also so cute how they vocally communicate. The box is a Gilwood that I built, the camera is a Wyze. It is not a perfect setup yet but I loved this little video.
Video: Shake your tail feather!
It's Friday, and even the birds are ready to shake their tail feather 😁 The Cooper's Hawk was back again today, checking out the bird bath to see if there's a catch to have. He has come twice yesterday, and at some point, the birds actually came back to eat and he just sat there, waiting for his chance. Once he got going, everybody successfully escaped. His plumage marks him as an immature, so maybe he just needs more practice. Such a pretty bird! Come good into the weekend.
The week has been busy workwise,
and there was so much bird traffic, so it took me a while to go through the bounty. Without further ado, I present part of the blizzard crowd. The Juncos had a blast. To be continued. Good night and come good into Friday!
(Junco, Blue Jay, House Finch, House Finch, Bluebird, Junco)
We got about a foot
of snow, and the backyard is quiet and looks like it was frosted with marshmallow puff. The lady by the pond has grown Marge Simpson hair, and it does not look like there were any night visitors. Today will be a busy day at the feeders. I am excited to see who comes first to dig out at the Birdsy cams. There will be new photos later today too. I hope you have it warm, here’s to a great Thursday!
While the winter crowd
can be a bit boring at times, surprises can happen any day. I think this is part of why I enjoy birdwatching so much. Every day has the possibility of something fun happening. Anyways, yesterday, I had this lone Cowbird lady on the feeder, and I also saw a Redwinged Blackbird. They sometimes travel with Starlings, so it makes sense that they were around. Here’s to a good week with fun surprises!
I know I am posting
a lot of Bluebirds right now, but they are one of my favorites and I am so happy that they visit a bit more regularly. One of the fun aspects with them is that they usually don’t come by themselves. If you get them, you get a group. I like to think that over the years, I have helped to enlarge the Bluebird population in my area, and when they come back here, it is my little reward for the work, emotions and money invested in monitoring their nestings, putting out food and creating a habitat.
If you want to know more or are trying to get Bluebirds to visit your yard too, sialis.org is an excellent source of information.
More MoDo,
it looks like it wanted to show that it can get even bigger 😆 These posing photos are always hilarious to me because the birds look like something out of Versailles and seem to look directly into the camera. And I guess they do see some sort of reflection in the lens. The second photo is interesting because that one seems to have escaped a predator or got hurt and is now growing new feathers in the spot. The feathers first come out as some sort of spikes called sheaths that encase the growing feather like a straw. At some point, the bird will start preening to pop them open and reveal the new feathers.
The Juncos
are plentiful this year, and they are loving the cold temperatures. Usually they do their own thing strutting along on the ground, trying to find seed, but when it gets really frosty, they will also visit feeders. They are such perfectly wonderful and round little birds, I love them. You can also see a bit more of the color variety in the third photo. Both the birds are Juncos.
A little addendum
to the Starling video. Yes, they can be a handful, yes, they are messy and invasive (in the US), but they are also quite entertaining and expressive. And their feathers are fascinating in their richness and variety amongst individual birds. In some of these, you can already see a change from the males’ winter look - they lose the dots, get that jewellish glossy look, the legs become more vibrantly red, and the beaks turn from grey to yellow.
Video: Starlings cannot read.
And apparently they feel dirty constantly. I have been out cleaning and refilling several times, and while I generally don’t have issues with that, it is rather frosty outside and maintaining the bath is a bit harder in the winter. My little sign was to vent my frustration a bit, and they took it as a challenge - it only lasted seven minutes 🤣 Anyways, here is a little clip. The music is a copyright free piece by DISMENTOPIA Taiwan. Enjoy!
Here is
the goddess of the snack drawer. Mourning Doves are smart, even if they might not appear so. My 20-25 know when and where the best food is. And they are vain. I have a love-hate relationship with them. Love for their goofiness and beauty, hate for their voracious appetite and feeder dominance (yes, they can be very aggro). But they truly do some of the best portraits. Happy Friday!
It is always funny
to come back home and open up the bird buffet after a bit of time away. When the weather is nice, it can take a while for the birds to come back, but if it is -12 degrees Celsius like today, they will flock the feeders. It was lovely to see them all today but there were no big surprises. I loved and squealed when I saw the BBs, so here is my little “Hello and welcome back” BB pic. I am also low on mealers, and they probably know, so here is a mental note to buy more. Come good into Wednesday!
My little break is over,
the livestream is back on, and tomorrow there will be new photos. I have been on a little family trip, and while we had a fantastic time, I started to miss the birds (and my kitty). I did check on everyone via the Birdsy cameras and even if I could not keep the feeders or baths full the whole time, it was fun checking in every so often. We have a frosty week ahead of us, so hopefully there will be lots of activity.
January is slowly
dragging on, and there is not a lot happening right now except for a steady stream of regulars. And with February approaching, I am beginning to think of spring. This is a good time to work and make plans. I have gotten seeds for the garden the other day and think about what plants could be added to make the yard more bird-friendly. Doing that may include planting berry bushes, a pollinator garden and landscaping that accomodates native wildlife. I am also doing some maintenance this weekend which means that the livestream will be off for a couple of days. Have a great Thursday!
(pictured - some of the regulars: Eastern Bluebirds in the top, a Redbreasted Nuthatch, a Blue Jay and a Junco on the bottom)
These little guys
are just so entertaining! We only get them in the cold season. Dark-eyed Juncos are a migratory bird in Michigan. They are also called “snowbirds”, and I think it is because they seem to LOVE it when it is cold but they are also perfectly camouflaged when they hop around in the winter. They do a special back and forth hop to scratch on the ground, but they will also grace my camera feeders. I love their shape and colors and lovely colors as much as their sounds.
Video: Thirsty birds!
The bird bath is very busy this morning - a nice opportunity to watch the different ways how birds drink. Some take several little sips, like the Finches and Bluebirds, some drink dramatically with an open beak like the Starling, and others drink like they were on a bender the night before, like the MoDo.
