The Right Feeder

 

 

Confused when they begin to feed themselves, juvenile birds are fun to watch.  They fly all over the deck, pecking at everything.  Eventually they seem to find the right feeder. 

 

 

Sunflower seeds for the little cardinal

 

 

 

He decides to try out a different feeder.

He still has a sunflower seed in his mouth.

 

 

 

He sits there not knowing exactly what to do.

Finally he determines that his beak is not going to work with this feeder.  So he goes back to the sunflower seeds.  This little bird tends to take a seed and fly to the deck railing to crack it.  Perhaps because that's where the parents fed him for a while.  And then, despite his long and noisy protests, the parents ignored him.  And so he learns.  Just like other little ones.

Obese Bird

We are having rain and strong winds around here.  That is not a good thing for autumn color.  Hopefully it will stop soon and sunshine will brighten up the mountains again.

Remember the very homely Cardinal?  (here)  The bird continued to follow the parents long after he was able to feed himself.  We often saw him at the feeder alone, stuffing his beak.  If either parent came by, he would hop to them and beg for more food.  I am sorry to report that he has joined the legions of the obese.  He is not fluffing up his feathers like a sick bird.  He is alert, has no problem swallowing, no problem flying, and shows no sign of illness.

Maybe not quite so homely, but really really large.

 He still has a rather goofy look that makes him easy to identify.

 This shot of the feeder compares the large cardinal to the chickadee.  Note how the feeder is leaning under the cardinal's weight.  I assure you he has no idea the chickadee is there.  If he did, he would chase it away immediately.

The cardinal is often the first bird to the feeders when we put them out in the morning.  And he and his parents are almost always the last ones to grab a bite before we bring them in.

Not all Babies are Beautiful

We love seeing the fledglings and juvenile birds that grow up in our woods.  We often can tell them apart.  We have one juvenile cardinal that looks rather strange.  I'm not sure what it is about the bird, but it is goofy-looking.  Clearly able to feed itself, the parents of this large baby are still feeding it.  Perhaps it looks weird because the bird is so much bigger than either parent.

I wish the bird had turned around.  The frontal view is the one that makes it look weird.

 My husband calls this bird a "special needs cardinal."

I do hope your weather is as good as ours.  Beautiful sunny days and crisp cool mornings.

Different March

We awakened March 1, 2010 to yet another deep snow!  I wanted to stay in bed all day, but dragged myself from under the covers and put out the feeders and water for the birds.  Oh, and then I shoveled and shoveled and shoveled.  The shoveling didn't break my back, but it almost broke my spirit.  Afterwards, I relaxed and watched the birds.

I don't think this cardinal liked the snow any more than I did.

The goldfinch has a mouthful of snow along with the sunflower seed.

The snow was heavy on the branches.

How much more of this stuff were we going to see?

Fast forward to yesterday...March 1, 2011.  Now this is the weather we moved here to enjoy.  Sunny and mild with temperatures in the mid-fifties!

A very different kind of bird soaking up the sunshine.

What a gorgeous day!

We will no doubt have some cold days ahead of us, perhaps even more snow.  But this March weather is more typical and we can expect more and more of these days.  We look outside at 6:00 pm and there is still daylight.  Oh, how I love it.

That's Not What I Wanted

When I was a child, my mother taught me to receive gifts gracefully.  "Never let anyone know it's not what you wanted," she reminded me.  On many Christmas mornings, I have been glad the giver of some of the gifts was absent.  While I would never say, "That's not what I wanted," I must admit to having thought, "What on earth were they thinking?"

This Christmas brought a gift to our county.  Many of our friends and neighbors were delighted.  The snow began to fall Christmas morning and kept falling all day.  While others marveled at a white Christmas, I was screaming all day, "THAT'S NOT WHAT I WANTED!!!"  The snow continued to fall.  I cringed whenever anyone said, "Isn't it lovely?"

Our daughter was at the Chicago airport getting ready to board the plane.  Realizing we would not be able to get to out to pick her up, we made reservations for her at a hotel near the Asheville airport.  Just as her flight began to board, the Asheville airport closed and her flight was canceled.  At the end of the day, she returned to Milwaukee and made reservations to come down three days later.

Our son and his wife had wanted to return to their home the day after Christmas but the snow kept them here for a while longer.  So...the one who wanted to come could not get here and the ones already here could not get out.

The snowfall was widespread and EVERY SINGLE county in North Carolina (all one hundred of them) received at least some snow during the storm.

I'm happy to report that our son made it home and our daughter made it here and we did have some wonderful times with them, even if they did not make it the same time.

The birds appreciated the feeders and were active all day.

A cardinal sits in a nearby tree.

A Downy Woodpecker waits for the suet feeder.

A wren and a titmouse share the sunflower seeds.

I must admit, I did not enjoy the snow at all.  We moved here to get away from the snow.  We had one of the coldest Decembers on record capped with the heavy snow at the end of the month.  I do hope it's not a sign of things to come.  That's definitely not what I wanted.

I hope all of you had a good holiday and got exactly what you wanted.  Somehow, I don't think this little goldfinch wanted this much snow either.

A Bit Confused

Our backyard birds give me joy in all seasons. I love the visitors we get during spring and fall migrations, but I love our year-round birds more. I love seeing the brightening yellow of the goldfinches. I love watching the courtship displays and the feeding of the fledglings.

This little cardinal is amazed that the parents stopped providing meals. A bit confused, the little one also seems a bit forlorn.

That's life, kiddo. You don't get a free ride and best to learn that now.

Looking Back at Last Tuesday

Impossible as it seemed this weekend, we had 10 inches of snow the previous Tuesday. It started early in the morning and snowed like crazy all day long.

This Cardinal was clearly as unhappy as I was to see all the snow falling. She glared at me as if I were to blame. Don't blame me, Ms. Cardinal. I'm the one who filled the birdfeeders for you this morning.




She sat on the deck rail for quite a while. She was waiting for the male to leave the sunflower feeder so she could have a turn.

Compare the size of the goldfinch to the snow he is sitting atop and you can appreciate the depth of the snow early in the day. More snow fell throughout the day.

The goldfinch gets a mouthful of snow along with the seed.

There was plenty of snow the following day. Looking back upon the scene, it was rather pretty. That's one good thing about looking back. It certainly wasn't very pretty when the snow was still falling with the wind blowing it in my face while I shoveled the driveway.

The yard birds stood looking very cold indeed.

This weekend was sunny and warmer than usual. I sat on the deck reading and soaking up the warm sun. I didn't need a jacket when I took the dogs for a walk. It was hard to imagine that I had been shoveling snow only a few days before. The sun does a body good after a freaky late snowfall. BTW: this season almost made records for snowfall, coming in a close second. Let's not try to break the record.

Bright Spot in a Grey Day

I like rain. I like misty mornings with the fog rolling in. I love the mountains shrouded with fog, and fog lying in the valleys with mountains rising above. Surprising then, that I don't like grey days...days in which there is no obvious mist or fog, no rain...just grey skies completely filled with clouds.

Monday was such a day. There were several factors that made the day more grey than the color outside. It was the last day of November and I got that familiar "gut feeling" that I should be further along with holiday preparations. That afternoon I had to drive downtown to the dentist for a crown prep. When I got home I finished the remaining pages of a really good book. For some reason that puts me in a funk for a short while.

So I was sitting on the sofa, sipping my tea. I sighed and looked out the window. I saw a bright flash of red. It was my friend Mr. Cardinal. (With few exceptions, all the male cardinals are named Mr. Cardinal around here.)


Hello there, Mr. Cardinal. You are a lovely sight to see this afternoon.

Well hello right back, Lady.

It's so nice to see you looking so cheerful on such a dreary day. How's the missus?

I take it you haven't seen her yet. She's over on that tree all puffed up for some reason. You know how they are.

I looked and sure enough, there sat Mrs. Cardinal. And "puffed up" was certainly an appropriate description. She was disinclined to talk so I simply watched.

Suddenly a wind gust blew her topknot in the air.

She looked almost like a cockatiel for a second or two.

She seemed a bit startled by the wind's effect, but she didn't move from the branch upon which she sat.

Then she looked right at me.

Well, Lady. Do you understand why I'm not so pleased with the hair thing? The old man just doesn't get it. It's enough to make any woman huffy.

Yes, Mrs. Cardinal, I do understand. I know exactly what you mean. If it helps, I think you are still lovely. Thanks for dropping by.

Losing Feathers

Good morning there, Mr. Cardinal. You're looking quite fine today.
"Well actually, lady, I'm not doing so well. I'm not that old, but I fear I'm turning bald already."
Gee, you look just fine to me.



"Well, take a look at my profile. Do you notice something missing?"
Oh, I see what you mean.

"Comb-overs don't work very well for birds, you know?"

That's true, but you do have a bit of topknotch left.

And you really are a beautiful bird anyway.
"Guess I'll just try to look at things head on for a while."

Sometimes that's the best thing to do anyway.

I've Got Jayne's Goldfinches

Jayne has been lamenting the lack of Goldfinches at her house this summer. Well Jayne, I think they have decided to hang around our house. We have seen many more goldfinches than usual with dozens of fledglings hopping about learning to feed themselves at our feeders.


The goldfinches are hanging around the sunflower hearts with one another.

They are hanging out around the sunflower with the cardinals.

They are hanging out with the chickadees.

They are hanging out in the trees awaiting a turn at the feeders.

Boys as well as girls.

They are hanging out around the birdbath on the deck.

They are hanging out with the towhees.

They are hanging out with the nuthatches.

Isn't it amazing how the birds are so prolific in one area and relatively uncommon in another area nearby? Or very common one year and not the next? None of our neighbors are seeing as many goldfinches as we are. For whatever reason, we are delighted to see these lovely yellow birds.

Lady Jane Cardinal and the Crossbill

One of our female Northern Cardinals is easy to identify because of her color. She has much more gray and less reddish-brown than is typical. At our house, identification means the bird gets a name. This one is Lady Jane. She is also much less aggressive than most cardinals. On this particular day, she was eating at a feeder when a molting Red Crossbill flew up.


She paid no attention at all to the crossbill.

The crossbill felt obliged to challenge her, but Lady Jane was unfazed.

"Oh," said the crossbill. "So there!"

Lady Jane leans in as if to say she isn't bothered at all by crossbill.

Peace established, the two sat side by side eating.

I love watching the birds interact in the trees and at the feeders. While the results are often predictable, sometimes there can be big surprises.