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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Birds du jour

Weather west of the Mississippi is heartlessly rolling over us.
It's cold.
Without gloves or hat I took the camera and tripod out
to discover useful things about photographing these birds.
Today's results, in the order they came out of the camera:


A chickadee, taking away a seed from the ground.


A tufted titmouse. There were several of these today.
They were very, very wary.


A finch, eyeing me from above.


Another chickadee, on Laura's favorite feeder.
The feeder was presented free, a nice gesture after we made their day at the bird store.
Laura could select from red, green or blue.
She took the blue bird feeder.
She says bluebird feeder.


The titmouse. I'm too close, he left.


My wonderful little flying pigs.
They look like so many piglets. I count eight.
Finches, that is.


Three more flying pigs, waiting a turn.

I heard doves, and an obnoxious blue jay sat in a tree across the street, crying danger, danger, danger most of the hour I sat and froze. It certainly did not add to the titmouse's comfort level.

I expect we also will have several varieties of woodpecker, juncos, nuthatches, cardinals. Already I've also watched fat chipmunks and squirrels filling their cheeks with seeds from the ground. I believe we have a going enterprise here.

We fed the birds for several years, long ago, but quit because our indoor/outdoor cats took advantage, as they would. Now only old Purrl is an outdoor cat, a mighty stiff legged old cat who brings home the occasional mouse, and is no longer a terror to the increasingly fat chipmunks hurrying about on chipmunk business.

Only the robin worm feeder is a disappointment. I'll have Laura put the worms in the compost pile and we'll begin again with orange slices, to see if there are any takers. And, for tomorrow I have a story about worms and Laura's  mother.

21 comments:

  1. Love your pictures! I used to be an avid bird watcher... belonged to Audubon and even went to an Audubon bird camp in Maine back in 2000. Now even though I enjoy the birds, I don't go on a lot of bird watching hikes, etc. So I do love it when I get to see pics like yours.

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  2. We used to feed the birds until the starlings and sparrows took over and spread the seed far and wide...our lawn is no more than a weed patch now.

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  3. You will be very popular, especially when snow comes.

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  4. Put out some currants...I've yet to see a robin resist!
    Jane x

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    1. Apples were handy tonight. Next we'll try currants.

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  5. Love it. And the wide range of feeders. It is pigeons who take over our feeders here - until the cockatoos or the corellas evict them. Temporarily.

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  7. Love that you know what you are doing with the birds, I love them but do not have a clue.

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  8. We feed birds too. Your photos are great. I have had to switch to safflower seed though because of the darn squirrels.

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  9. I've been seeing "meal worm" (dehydrated, I assume) for sale these days... have never bought them... think they may be to attract bluebirds? There was a time when my bird feeding budget rivaled our grocery store budget.... these days I put out feeders if I think we'll be somewhere for a few days... otherwise I enjoy folks like you and your bird feeding photos. Thanks for sharing!

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  10. I love the birds here. We also get chickadees and titmice and cardinals, and bluejays and mockingbirds and and and. I'm sorry we don't have chipmunks though. Squirrels a plenty and they leap on the bird feeders scattering seed everywhere.

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  11. Flying piglets... heheheh.. an apt name for very hungry little birds. Chickadees are my favourite - so happy, so busy, so brave.

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  12. Joanne, what a lovely series of bird captures!

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  13. Joanne, you have some nice looking feeders and those birds will certainly be fat and happy flying around your yard.

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  14. Nice catch on the chickadees. Those little guys hardly ever sit still and never pose for a photo. You have such a nice variety of birds there. Everything here with feathers has flown south except the sparrows and crows with a few magpies thrown in. Makes bird watching a little slow.

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  15. Don't be surprised if you have a population explosion next spring :)

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  16. Looking forward to your story for tomorrow. I love all the birds that you were able to capture today! Quite a few! How fun to be able to have the bird feeders (wouldn't work here with the dog, LOL :) I'm sure you are going to have a fun fall/winter seeing who comes to feed.

    betty

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  17. Birds are always a joyous subject. I love them (most of them).

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  18. Such sweet little birds, I love the feeders. Sad about the worm feeder, perhaps the orange slices will do better attracting robins.

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  19. The hummingbird does not exist here in Hawaii. That is one bird that I would love to see in person. Lovely photos.

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