Flighty Finches

Feeding Baby

Sparrow: A Rare Find!!!

I used to think that if you saw one sparrow, you saw them all. The majority of the birds we have at the feeder is a typical house sparrow. Plain brown and tan birds hopping around in the grass are mostly unnoticed when one more colorful is in their midst. Fat sparrows sluggishly bob along the outdoor patios at any eatery. Every now and then I see a tiny chipping sparrow. I've always thought sparrows are nothing spectacular.

Tonight as three rabbits engaged in some sort of mating hide-and-seek game (menage a trois?) the birds nearby tried to stay out of their way, and I noticed one who did not look like the others. Along with markings and color typical to sparrows, its head had striking white and black stripes. A White-crowned Sparrow, most likely on a layover of its migration north to Canada.

There are close to 10 varieties of sparrows that spend the summer in this area, and several more who are simply passing through on their way to summer or winter homes. This little bird is encouraging me to have a bigger appreciation for them all.

A Blue Jay Kind of Day

A gray and brown "Mourning"

I saw these mourning doves out on the deck and they were so calm they let me poke my camera out the patio door to snap a few photos without startling. I've never paid attention to the difference between the males and females, but having these two so close together I can see the Mister has gray on his head with a pinkish tinge to his breast while the Missus is a beautiful soft brown.

Mr. Dove

Mrs. Dove

Look at his lovely blue eyelids.

She's watching me.

Blush

Ducks

The birds have been busier than this blog so I'm just going to post a picture every day or so of the happenings in our yard.

I spotted this female mallard in the backyard, and wondered what she was doing there. When she flew off I noticed a male followed her, and he must have been at the feeder. I didn't know ducks visited bird feeders but a friend had also seen some around theirs a few days later.

Love is in the air....

I'll let these pictures speak for themselves....

Teensy foot prints

Now that the snow is gone, I thought I'd post what I found last week before it had all melted. So long, winter!

Happy Birthday to Me!

What a beautiful day! A few years ago on my grandpa's birthday I saw a flock of cedar waxwings, and now today on my birthday here they are again, like Grandpa Lambert was sending his good wishes to me.

And even an ordinary sparrow can look sweet on a day like today. 

Other birthday callers include chickadees, a goldfinch, a woodpecker, robins, a female cardinal, and a bluejay calling in the distance. 

Finally!

The chickadees have finally found the suet. 

The Evil Eye

Eating happily. Alone. Unbothered.

Flaring crest! Sparrow beware!

Sparrow, seeing her flaring crest, raising her an Evil Eye. 

Homemade Suet

Our last order of beef from the butcher came with two chunks of beef suet. We melted it down (a very stinky process), added cornmeal, rolled oats, peanut butter, seeds, and nuts, then let it cool and harden in the fridge.

And voila!

In flight

Berry Sorbet

Happy Thanksgiving!

GOBBLE, GOBBLE!

A Turkey Speaks

I have never understood

why anyone would

roast the turkey

and shuck the clams

and crisp the croutons

and shell the peas

and candy the sweets

and compote the cranberries

and bake the pies

and clear the table

and wash the dishes

and fall into bed

when they could sit back

and enjoy a hamburger.

-Unknown Author

Simply Duck

Taking Flight

As I returned home from a shopping trip I had to wait for this group of geese to move along. 

Look at those wingspans and the white tail feathers. 

What nature reveals when the leaves are shed

Carefully Observing

I was out in the yard taking photos of the leaves and saw a few juncos observing me very carefully.

The Goose Wedge

While watching a group of about seven geese practice their wedge formation, I just had to laugh. The first pass they did over the house was in a V, but one lost goose tailed them, flying back and forth between the two arms of the V, unsure of where he belonged. As they passed by again they were even worse off by forming two rows, one in front of the other like an equal sign.

This is not a photo of that group, but it looks like they are trying the equal sign too.

The (non-thieving) Magpie

I've heard the overture to the opera The Thieving Magpie many times on the radio and I confess it's the only thing I know about the bird. I wasn't even sure what one looked like until my friend pointed it out while at Rocky Mountain National Park.

There was nothing criminal about this magpie.

A different brand of blue jay

In Rocky Mountain National Park, the color palette is very brown, tan, grey and green, with splashes of gold in autumn as the aspens change. So when bright blue darts across your path, it catches your eye.

Introducing, the Steller's Jay. Majestic blue coat with a black crested head.

Fall is Coming

While not exactly a V formation, a telltale sign that fall is on its way! (Photo taken almost a month ago).

Wildflower Cafe

Two goldfinches look over the day's special, black eyed susan and coneflower salad.

Enjoying coneflower

Quite the buffet!

Digging in

Room for Rent

Unfortunately the robins who lived under our deck have moved out. They didn't like their noisy neighbors, I guess.

Lower Deck Inhabitants

The closest I could get to this robin's nest without being dive-bombed by a pair of protective parents was about 10 feet. These two built their nest underneath our deck, directly below our patio table. All you can see of the nest from this photo is a long wisp of something hanging from it.

While I did save myself a pecking on the head, a nervous robin swooped and fluttered above me before landing in the yard, a severe look of warning in his eyes. I apologized and excused myself quickly.