Baby birds!

Several birds have brought their babies out to feed recently, and here are some of them in the act...

Food and Shelter

 This sparrow came to the feeder with some nesting material, then dropped it to eat.

Then there were none

First there were three...

Joined by another...

Two more stopped by...

And all left with a flutter.

Feeding Baby

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. 

The Evil Eye

Eating happily. Alone. Unbothered.

Flaring crest! Sparrow beware!

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

Winter is coming, just ask the birds

I haven't posted much lately and that's not for lack of bird activity.

Birds are migrating, with some leaving us for warmer southern temps, and some joining us from their northern summer homes, like juncos. The geese have been practicing their Vs. It's funny watching some of those younger geese try to figure out where they are supposed to fall into line. By now those formations are getting tighter and coming together quicker than a few weeks ago. Some might have left already but there are still flocks who haven't yet.

I noticed a few weeks ago that the goldfinches have already donned their "winter coats." From the back they still have their signature finch design with the wings creating a stripey V, and no longer bright yellow but more of a dull taupe.

Everyone is taking advantage of the bountiful natural seed harvest, trying to gain their winter fat stores. We have a few sparrows who have fattened up considerably since the last of their offspring left the nest. My feeders have been empty for the past few months because I know there is plenty of food for them to find in the seeding flowers and weeds, like my sunflowers and the neighbor's coneflowers, both favorites of the goldfinch.

The birds know it won't be long now before the weather changes!

Blue Jay

A pair of blue jays took turns at the feeder this morning, leaving a line of sparrows waiting for them to move on.

Sparrow Dirt Bath

A few sparrows enjoying sun-baked dirt for a little bath. They dug bowls (or bathtubs?) in the ground by scooting around on their tummies, then fluttered their wings to kick the dirt over themselves.

Sock Feeder

Because of an increase in goldfinch activity, I bought a nyjer seed sock feeder to accommodate these sweet birds. It went unnoticed for a day, but now even the sparrows and chickadees are enjoying it. I positioned the tray underneath the sock so the seeds won't drop to the ground and plant themselves, and the sparrows have found it's a convenient platform from which they reach up to the sock to grab a few bites, and it's also a great place to politely wait one's turn.

Maybe My Current Favorite

Look at this little sweetie! This is a chipping sparrow. Smaller than the house sparrow, they have a chestnut colored cap on their head. I saw one bouncing around restlessly, almost wren-like. Their call is much like their name would suggest, a high-pitched trill, and a chip, chip, chip!

Another Installment of Weekend Birdservations!

• A baby chickadee with a particular bald spot on his forehead finally learned how to eat from the suet grate.

• Never before seen in our yard, a white-breasted nuthatch made an appearance. Since the visit I've heard their nasal "yaank yaank!" call from both ends of our front yard. I was able to get pretty close to one too as he waited in the tree for me to fill the bird feeder.

• A raptor (falcon? kestrel?) stalked the feeder until he snagged his evening meal of sparrow. He came back for a second meal Sunday morning, and later awed the guests of our Father's Day picnic as he flew across the backyard.

• The hungry baby chipping sparrow I mentioned the other day ended up being a baby cowbird that a family of chipping sparrows fostered. I guessed this because the markings on the baby was not consistent with sparrows of any kind, was twice the size of its parents, and much hungrier than most sparrow babies. A week after I captured those photos I noticed them again and learned that those sparrows are actually raising two cowbird babies. 

• Juvenile robins have been practicing their songs as the afternoons fade to evening. A little sputtery at times, but sounding more and more like their parents every day. 

Hungry Baby Bird

This happened June 12.

I watched this little baby bird for about 15 minutes. At first I thought he had been abandoned or got lost because he was all alone on the sidewalk (seen here with a few house sparrows who didn't acknowledge him), looking around as if he was waiting for his mommy to come back.

Then mom (or dad) chipping sparrow swooped in and fed him for about 10 minutes. He was very, very hungry.

Bird of Prey

This guy landed under the feeder and I was intrigued. I even went outside to get a better look but lost sight of him as he slipped behind a bush. Then I heard a scuffle, and several small birds screaming in terror. My final view of him was as he flew away with a sparrow in his evil clutches. I just about cried.

I heard this could happen, that hawks or falcons stalk small birds at the feeders. Unfortunately I didn't recognize that behavior until it was too late. After checking my book I still couldn't figure out what kind of bird this was. He (or she) was grayish in color with a striped tail, and about the size of a crow. My best guess based on its small size is that it was probably a falcon. Now with a tasty sparrow in its tummy.

Where Do Baby Birds Come From?

Have I got a treat for you today! Upon hearing a ruckus coming from the garden, I went out with my camera to see what was going on. There were two chipping sparrows perched on our wooden privacy fence, staring at each other.

Then she lifted her tail, he jumped on top, and... well, I'll leave the rest to the privacy of your imagination.

Sunday's Birdservations!

It's amazing what you can see when you're really looking. Today I observed several things worth mentioning. Unfortunately the camera didn't catch all of this and even if it did, the image quality isn't awesome. So here we are:

• The hummingbird feeder I hung in the tree was finally noticed by one teensy weensy ruby-throated hummingbird

• A brown-headed cowbird danced for a female

• A male house sparrow gave himself a dirt bath in the neighbors' garden plot

• It was girls night out as a group of female house finches fought over whose turn it was at the feeder

• In search of some protein, a sparrow chased a hapless moth and presumably ate it (I lost sight of them before the meal happened)

• A house finch happily splashed around in the water tray

A Sparrow Without Her Tail

I was going to post about something else today but then I looked out and saw this female house sparrow without a tail! She's a compelling mix of cute and pathetic but her lack of plumage hasn't slowed her down one bit. Aside from dining alone at my feeder, she has also been hopping around in the neighbor's roof gutter.

Don't worry, little bird, like any bad haircut it will grow out eventually.