Baby Bluebirds at the feeder!

Yesterday Papa bluebird was super busy tending to his hungry fledged babies. I believe as far as I can tell there are three, and they flitted all around the yard last night - a delight to watch. This morning I was fortunate enough to sit on my deck and watch one of the babies get fed.

Awaiting the Hummingbirds!

I have been patiently watching the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Migration map for several weeks now, as the migration is very much upon us. Well, given our very cold start to a Spring, the hummers have been wise to bring that to a standstill towards the end of March, with not much movement until these past couple of days. Here is today's map, courtesy of our Hummingbird friends at http://www.hummingbirds.net/map.html

There have been several enviable sightings in my area (Eastern PA), and I glance out the window often eagerly awaiting for their return, having hung my feeder a few days ago when the weather finally broke (yes, 87 degrees here today, NUTS)!  As to the almost vigil, it's like waiting for Christmas morning but without knowing the actual date!

Here are some pics from last August, the first season I hung a Hummingbird feeder.

Male Eastern Bluebird

Timid and elusive, this male Eastern Bluebird deserved his own special post today

Spring Snow

As much as I prefer my snow in Winter - not Spring - it always provides an excellent backdrop for nature. Especially, our feathered friends.

Today, my first Eastern Bluebirds! Two females, both who didn't seem to make out so well food-wise at wanting to get in the midst of other birds feeding. I only saw them in the morning, but not at all the rest of the day.

Female Eastern Bluebird - welcome cute one!

Waiting for the feeder to free up from House Finches and Cardinals

She sat close to the house on the deck rail - hence the wonderful photo!

Only the female Bluebird builds her nest and incubates her eggs.

The Northern Cardinals always give a good showing - and always first in, last out for the day.

Female Northern Cardinal - fitting for snow!

Handsome red jacket on the male

This pretty gal has an injured beak - it doesn't seem to inhibit her from eating though!

The rest of my photos are of my regular visitors, the last being the view I have from my window...

I wonder what that Junco is saying to his Cardinal friend?

Love my Dark-Eyed Junco friends!

Mourning Dove in the fresh snow

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Tufted Titmouse munching on suet

The view from my window (with 5 hungry birds!)

Sunday watching

Today I had my regular visitors, and finally caught a couple good shots of the Red-bellied Woodpecker. Why red-bellied when it's red-headed? Well, I suppose because there is already the latter - also with a red head!

This male was caught with his tongue out - which is 2" long! 

The female with her odd clown looking mullet!

February Visitors

Throughout the month of February, my feathered friends kept me company and posed for some pretty pictures. While the Chickadees remain very flitty, the Cardinals seem a bit more at ease, and I've come to recognize a couple "regulars". Below are random shots from the month...

The Blue Jay is a welcome bird as he usually brings the woodpeckers along!

Carolina Chickadee

A great action shot of a resident Carolina Chickadee hopping in for some seed

I can always tell if there are birds feeding by the chirpy call of the Cardinals

Dark-eyed Junco finding a big morsel

The bright red male Cardinal can cheer up the doldrums of February!

A Red-breasted Nuthatch at the feeder

My fav little Tufted Titmouse - also a big eater!

This caption should read "Mondays!"

The unique ruddiness of the female Cardinal...

Snow and Sunshine

While the nighttime snow wasn't much, the thick coating made for a pretty bright morning in the sunshine. The birds came late today, but I don't blame them with the windy cold! First up, the  Dark-eyed Juncos. While they are aplenty and perhaps not as showy as many other birds, their contented and calm disposition give a nice overall flavor to the feeding area.

A female Dark-eyed Junco saying "hello" to the sunny morning

Ahh!

This fellow is resourceful with just a few drops of melting ice!

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Pretty House Finch in the snow

Well-fed birds at this feeder!

A first at the feeder since I've been watching was a House Finch. While quite a beautiful little bird, they are sometimes considered pests as they are susceptible to chronic infections,  possibly affecting other birds at the feeder

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What a face!

Reaching for a bit of water. Thank the sun for helping the birds with this!

Snacking on a sunflower seed, this little sparrow looks happy!

The White-throated Sparrow was busy this morning, and while they frequented the deck last weekend, this is the first that I was able to get some nice shots them. The pretty markings, especially the yellow around the beak (called yellow lores), make it an enjoyable bird to watch.

From the Cornell Ornithology website: "Although they look nothing alike and aren’t particularly closely related, the White-throated Sparrow and the Dark-eyed Junco occasionally mate and produce hybrids. The resulting offspring look like grayish, dully marked White-throated Sparrows with white outer tail feathers." I wonder if I'll see any hybrids of these two wonderful birds!

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Today the female Downy Woodpecker visited
the suet feeder. She was back for seconds a bit
later. Love the black/white pattern on her plumage!

Perhaps her first time here? She sure seems to be checking things out!

An interesting fact from the Cornell Ornithology website: "In winter, Downy Woodpeckers are frequent members of mixed species flocks. Advantages of flocking include having to spend less time watching out for predators and better luck finding food from having other birds around."

Nothing like a suet breakfast for a hungry Woodpecker!

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The elusive Black-capped Carolina Chickadee finally gave in to my getting some decent shots. This particular bird, as noted in my description, can be a tricky bird to identify. Both the Carolina and Black-capped varieties have distinct ranges in this Eastern zone, of which my backyard is pretty much on the line! I still am not confident in my identification, even with online sites having much information on this conundrum of differentiating the two lookalike birds!

And to complicate matters further, the species have been known to hybridize in the overlap zone! 

Nonetheless, both birds are truly cuties. I hope to get the chance to see more of these feathered friends at my feeder!

Carolina? Black-capped? Both equally cute as a cucumber.

I wish this pretty Chickadee had been just a bit more in focus!

Getting to Know You

Today was the first day I was able to sneak a peak at my backyard friends becoming more comfortable with their new feeder (and people/cat behind windows staring at them!). It was a busy morning with about a dozen different birds! First up, the oh so pretty but oh so bullyish Blue Jay!

Did you know that the Blue Jay's color is not pigment, but light refraction based on feather structure?

I came to quickly find which birds were more lounge-y and comfortable than others, for instance the numerous Dark-Eyed Junco. Ground dwellers, clearly they outnumbered the other birds that fed throughout the day.

Chubby and cute female.

Standing tall to check things out!
The male Dark-Eyed Junco has a more defined slate/white color,
while the female above has a softer look with brown tones.

Another sweetie pie that couldn't stay still longer than to grab a morsel and flit away was the Tufted Titmouse. With a bit of patience and more so luck, I was able to get some cuter than cute shots of this adorable bird. An interesting fact: The Tufted Titmouse live their entire lives within a few miles of where they were born!

Cute or what?

"I'm thinking I like this get-up!"

A big morsel for such a tiny Tufted Titmouse!

It was enjoyable seeing such the variety of birds, and while perhaps familiar, having to identify them fully. This was the case with my next visitor, another very skittish bird that barely let me get his picture: The Downy Woodpecker. Beautiful markings, including the red patch on its nape.

The Downy is the smallest in the Woodpecker family.
While it looks like he's slumbering, he was as quick as lightening in grabbing food and flying off to a nearby maple tree.

The Song Sparrow's name is exactly what it implies; I wish I'd been able to open a window to listen more clearly! He too is a chubby looking bird at times, with wonderful brown/white markings.

Caught in the act, even if you can't hear him!

Chubby cheeky Song Sparrow

The Northern Cardinals were just stunning, male and female alike. They were difficult new guests to lure in, but in time perhaps they will warm up to their new feeder and friend!

Mrs. Northern Cardinal - a true beauty!

So handsome!

If it were Christmas I'd be convinced these Cardinals were decorating the tree with themselves! Stunning red!

All in all it was a fantastic day for seeing my new feathered friends. While there were others - Black Capped Chickadee, Carolina Wren, and Red-Breasted Nuthatch to name a few, I wasn't able to  capture them today that would show them off (flighty and elusive!)...