Enjoying the Birds

April 29, 2015

Of course we would rather see just the beauty of the bird without the clutter of the feeder, but the reason we get to see the birds is that we feed them!

The titmouse and lady cardinal are old friends.

Feeding the birds attracts the attention of the squirrels, but they haven't been a big problem since I put baffles on all the feeders. They are interesting, and I'm glad for them to get the seed that falls on the ground.

April 30, 2015

A new visitor this spring was the catbird, which has a call like the mewing of a cat. He looks like a plain gray bird with black cap from the front, but if he turns his rump to you, it is surprisingly red or rust colored!

These views show a little more of the personality of the catbird.

We see a male rose-breasted grosbeak about once a year. I couldn't get close to him, but that red breast was quite dramatic. We have noticed the female a couple of times.

These are two of my favorites: the titmouse and the tiny brown-headed nuthatch. Both are very spirited and are agile flyers. At upper right, it looks like a sunflower seed has slipped out of the titmouse's beak.

The catbird takes a drink at the birdbath.

Since we were enjoying the birds so much, it seemed like a good idea to give the squirrels something to keep them busy.
We thought it was interesting that this cardinal landed on the window ledge right behind one of Brenda's glass birds.

The brown thrasher is a common bird in this area, but not usually at our house, so this surprised me. I'll see three or four of them around Marty's house, but rarely do they enter our yard for some reason.

The bluejays are loud and aggressive, but we like them anyway.

You have to be fond of the tiny chickadee. It is agile enough to stay out of the way of the bigger birds, and still manages to get to the feeders.

Now this is unusual! A bluebird and a catbird at the birdbath at the same time! It is rare for a bluebird to visit us, and we have never seen a catbird here until this year.

This birdbath has been a very sociable place today! Here is a lady cardinal and a catbird at the bath together.
This sparrow likes feeding on the ground and was peacefully hopping about.

Another catbird view. We had a pair of them that stayed around about a month. Considering how sleek this one is, it must be the lady. I've got to find a way to end this document, so maybe this dramatic red rump is the way to end it.