Tag: feeding birds

First visit.

I happened to be sitting on the deck when this Baltimore Oriole made its first visit of the season to my backyard hummingbird feeder, which it prefers to the larger oriole feeder.

Had the better angle.

Faye had the better angle to capture this Rose-breasted Grosbeak waiting to approach one of our feeders.

Blends in.

This female Northern Cardinal blends in very well; only her beak betrays her presence.

Clings.

A molting American Goldfinch clings to the nyger seed feeder.

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Sprightly.

I was fortunate to capture this Chipping Sparrow, a sprightly visitor to the backyard.

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Life feeds life.

I have fed songbirds for about 15 years, 13 of which here at this home. I count birds for Project FeederWatch and this weekend have counted them for the Great Backyard Bird Count.

A large number of birds of several species visited yesterday, a little more than two days after a major snowstorm. There had been very little activity today, and early this afternoon I saw why.

Sometimes, I feed more than songbirds. A Sharp-shinned Hawk had apparently been keeping watch, and it pounced on a House Finch.

A very talented friend once used the phrase ‘Life feeds life’ as a blog post title. It seemed like an appropriate title for this post.

Rarely visit.

Although American Crows overwinter in the tens, if not hundreds, of thousands in my area, they rarely visit the backyard. This is the first one I have seen in the backyard in four or five years.

Bird watching.

I have participated in Project FeederWatch since 2008. From November to April, I put out a bird feeder and once weekly record the birds that visit.

I started last weekend. On that very mild weekend I recorded four birds – three American Goldfinches and one House Finch. It’s a little colder this weekend and there has been much more traffic. 

This photo of a Red-bellied Woodpecker is from last year. Tomorrow, I might be able to capture a photo of a feathered visitor.

Hummingbird.

This hummingbird (almost certainly a Ruby-Throated, do not know if it is a female or an immature one) visits this feeder outside our kitchen window many times daily. I was about 3 meters away and shooting through the window screen with my 75-300mm lens at maximum zoom.

Gleaned.

These Downy Woodpeckers gleaned every last reachable bit from the feeder before I could refill it.