ETA: Now the photo is posted.
I rummaged through photos and came across this one from July. I put out suet cakes for a week or two and this female Downy Woodpecker (link goes to allaboutbirds.org) regularly visited. She also visited the hummingbird feeder, right background, and I think was able to extract some nectar.
I resumed filling the seed feeders late last week and expect to see more visitors soon.
The male American Goldfinches are re-acquiring their brilliant summer plumage.
I sometimes think of the Dark-eyed Junco as the songbirds’ version of a wind-up toy. It suddenly starts to skitter over the ground or snow and as suddenly stops. It will quickly back- then forward-scratch to reveal hidden tidbits. I enjoy watching them go about their business.
Can you spot the cardinal?
It flew away an instant before I tripped the shutter for this image. The female House Finch remained.
I sometimes think of the White-breasted Nuthatch as the clown of the songbirds. It moves upside down. It wears a distinctive, funny suit. It has a funny little call, surveys the scene by turning its head every which way. Flits down to snatch a seed then quickly retreats to the safety of a nearby tree to open and devour its prize.
We set a table underneath the bird feeder, where it catches the seed spilling out of the feeder. This House Sparrow (link courtesy http://www.allaboutbirds.org) quickly took advantage of the bounty.
The female Baltimore Oriole is a frequent visitor to this feeder. She vigilantly monitors our movements and flies away if we move too much.
previouslytexan 