Birds A few from the yard

[Brownie]

My feeders are starting to pay off.

DSC00090 by telecast, on Flickr

DSC00105 by telecast, on Flickr

DSC00097 by telecast, on Flickr

DSC00094 by telecast, on Flickr

DSC00085 by telecast, on Flickr

 

[Tim Mayo]

Very nice Tim. It’s a busy time of year for these little guys. We are moving house this week but one of my first jobs will be to get the feeders setup, probably before unpacking any boxes!

 

[Brownie]

Thanks. I installed the feeders in the middle of winter hoping they'd come around, but it took quite a while. Their winter feeding habits were already established. But since traffic has picked there've been a few we'd never seen before, at least in our yard. Red Wing Blackbirds are common around here but they tend to stick to marshy areas or ponds. There was one at the feeder yesterday. Hopefully he was keeping the Starlings off the suet block! I saw what I think was a titmouse yesterday, but it came and went so fast I couldn't get an ID or a photo. I suppose it could've been a Cedar Waxwing, but it looked too small. We have what appears to be a nesting pair of House Finches, another common bird we've never before noticed out there. They're in the bottom photo, I think it was date night!

 

[Tim Mayo]

Thanks. I installed the feeders in the middle of winter hoping they'd come around, but it took quite a while. Their winter feeding habits were already established. But since traffic has picked there've been a few we'd never seen before, at least in our yard. Red Wing Blackbirds are common around here but they tend to stick to marshy areas or ponds. There was one at the feeder yesterday. Hopefully he was keeping the Starlings off the suet block! I saw what I think was a titmouse yesterday, but it came and went so fast I couldn't get an ID or a photo. I suppose it could've been a Cedar Waxwing, but it looked too small. We have what appears to be a nesting pair of House Finches, another common bird we've never before noticed out there. They're in the bottom photo, I think it was date night!

I love seeing the starlings here but they do go through the food quickly, especially the suet. Normally anywhere from 5-20 might turn up and they can demolish a suet block in no time at all. They must think that because I'm shooting with a Sony I'm made of money!

 

[Brownie]

Over here Starlings are regarded as trash birds. They don't sing, they squawk. They aren't all that pretty compared to most other birds, and they're feeder bullies. Grackles are right behind them, although they at least sound like a bird and they're pretty when the light hits them just right.