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Thursday, November 27, 2014

Thanksgiving in the tree of birds

There are two more feeders for Emily and Laura to fill this year, and so many birds the tree seems alive with movement.



Today has been grey from start to end. I hoped to get pictures of my flying pigs enjoying the additions, and finally went out at three, for the last grey light. 



One of the new feeders, and probably a downy woodpecker. He had been boosted from the other new feeder.



The other new feeder, commandeered by an American crow. I bought it Wednesday morning, and in a fit of largess the girls picked out the fruit and nut block. It seemed the right thing to do, although it also attracts black birds. This is the first week we've put out "the good stuff," the black bird magnets. They have to eat too, just like the cardinals, I remind myself. Somehow the crow is more acceptable than starlings and cowbirds. A tufted titmouse above the crow's head is waiting.....




American gold finch. Just passing through; all those little white safflower seeds are too troublesome to extract from this feeder,



when it can reach right into this feeder.


"You talking about me?"


Not a great day for pictures; I gave it up rather sooner than later. But, not quite the end.


A final shot of my flying pigs, working on niger seed, keeping that village in Ethiopia funded for another year. 

20 comments:

  1. A constant chore in the winter, I'm sure, keeping those filled.

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  2. Joane -- What a wonderful gift to the birds in your area -- breakfast, lunch and dinner! Enjoy your bird watching -- barbara. (And oh yes -- I'm very fond of blackbirds too.)

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  3. Love that last shot.

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  4. we've had a gray day here as well, cold and blustery, but the food was good, happy thanksgiving to you and your family

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  5. I loved the last picture with all the birds feeding! You did great with the shots you got!

    betty

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  6. So beautiful, Joanne! You made my day with these lovely photos. Thank you so much, and Happy Thanksgiving!

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  7. The little birds are so pretty and it's nice to see the crow getting a feed too.

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  8. Lovely birds! Happy Thanksgiving.

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  9. I love all the photos but especially that first one! Beautiful.

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  10. Hari OM
    Their presence is the thanks they give and the photo ops are the reward for your generosity. Hope you ate as well!!! YAM xx

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  11. Dear Joanne,
    all photos are lovely - but the last one: great! Touching and funny. You have so many different kind of birds in your garden.
    Did I get it right: you don't love black birds that much? I think they are wonderful singers - though very dominant and cantankorous.

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  12. Gorgeous!
    Yesterday, we saw many many birds sitting on the trees in the back yard. As I didn't have binoculars at hand, I was unable to discern what kind they were, but they made me happy.

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  13. Makes me nostalgic for many a Thanksgiving at my parents' house in Connecticut where their feeders hung outside a large picture window in the kitchen -- many of the same birds that you show here ...

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  14. Bet you those birds are grateful for their winter feed.
    Merle..........

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  15. I'm sure your yard is a tantalizing feeding area for most birds in the area. When I had several wild acres of land around my KY home, the blackbirds and grackles, all migrating together in groups heading south made a stop-over on this land. Eating native seeds and small insects they flew off in a few days. I loved to watch their take-off flights, rising in the hundreds. Of course if I had to feed all of them by feeders I would have gone broke. I hope you are keeping a journal of all the antics you have observed about your bird and small animal visitors. I really enjoy reading about them. -- barbara

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  16. One of the few things I miss about Illinois is seeing the beautiful birds in the snow at a neighbor's feeder. I see the occasional dove or nondescript bird here, but no robins, cardinals, bluebirds.

    Love,
    Janie

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