Here at the Sabine Farm, I have put up a few bird feeders, trying to attact some interesting visitors.
I am starting to get a good variety. Here are a few from this morning.
First, Mr. Rose Breasted Grosbeak is now a frequent visitor. He is coming pretty often now.
I am not sure who this is, but since she, I believe, is around at about the same time as the male Grosbeak, I think this is Mrs. Grosbeak.
Then, a kind of finch, the Cardinal.
A different sort of finch is this, the American Goldfinch.
I wasn’t able to get a good shot of the Flicker or the House Finch, today, pretty sure House Finch, rather than Purple Finch.
There are also a couple woodpeckers around zillions of sparrows, Chickadees, and Nuthatches, an occasional Blue Jay, and I think an Eastern Pewee, which bobs its tail very nicely and comes frequently, always perching at the very top of the hanger before dining.
UPDATE:
I haven’t yet caught the Flicker. But what about a Red Bellied Woodpecker?
The larger woodpeckers, used to hanging on vertical planes, have a hard time negotiating these horozontal bars.
And the Blue Jay, a land lubber.
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Cardinal Finches wear red, but the Purple Finches are best called “Monsignor”.
Some of the Eastern Pewees are in formal schism, so I’d suggest shooing them away.
Is the cardinal of the Bishopfinch, Priestfinch, or Deaconfinch order?
Fr Z,
I hope you are enjoying some good beer while at the Farm.
We’re a little ahead of you–besides what you have there, we’ve spotted the first hummingbird and a bluebird–plus a pair of orioles.
Father,
Thanks for the snaps of the birds. I always enjoy birdwatching and trying to figure out what it is I am seeing if I have not seen it before.
Here in the Piedmont the woodpeckers have been pecking since February, and the bluebirds have been about since March, along with many mourning doves. I still have not seen a Great Blue Heron yet down at the marsh by the river, but the Cormorants are back on the lake.
More owls than in previous years, and a good number of Turkey Vultures.
Altogether a very beautiful spring thus far.
What magnificent birds you have in your American gardens. How colourful. A complete contrast to those in my own garden here in the South of England – grey pigeons, brown sparrows and black and white magpies. Robins have a splash of colour but are rarely seen now. However we do have some bright green parrots in nearby woods established in the wild which make up for the lack of colour on the local birds.
dad29: Yes, I saw a hummingbird today for the first time. I shall have to get the feeder out soon, since it is still so cold here.
elizabeth: We have an incredible lot of robins, but no magpies that I have seen in these parts. We also have many morning doves. There is a regular pair here, entirely inseparable. Also, I have noticed that Mr. and Mrs. Malard Duck are at the pond again. I believe they are the same pair as from the last few years. We had wood ducks too, but I haven’t spotted them yet.
This thread cannot be complete without mentioning Pius XII’s Goldfinch named Gretel, who used to perch on his shoulder while he shaved.
What kind of Camera are you using to take the pictures? What lens?
What a diverse group of visitors you have, very lovely and fun to watch. I have robins, doves and house finches outside my kitchen window. I haven’t been feeding them though. I just give them water. The blue jays around these parts are mean and pick on all the other birds and steal their eggs. The only other birding excitement I’ve seen lately was a huge raven and a hawk (not sure what kind) taking each other on in a battle of wits.
Davind H: Canon EOS 20D and a 75-300 zoom.
It always strikes me as odd that the “red bellied woodpecker” has a white belly and a red head. Anyone know how the name came to be?
Every morning as I walk to the library here in Saint Paul I am serenaded by cardinals, who love to sit at the very tops of trees and sing as the first rays of the sun hit them. I would love to hear your feathered morning choir, Father Z!
Quantitative: No indeed. I shot another angle later in the day and it does have a reddish belly.
Dear Father:
My sister just got a hummingbird feeder and stuck it on to the picture window in her house, and they visit!
For those that don’t know: A hummingbird feeder doesn’t use seeds; instead, it is filled with (essentially) artificial nectar (yes, you can get hummingbird nectar). At the bottom are tiny perches and simple flower-shaped holes, where the hummingbirds sip the nectar.
But if you want pictures of them, you have to be reallllllll quiet and have a fast shutter, because they stay there no more than two seconds at a time.
Father-
Then I stand corrected.
Since no one else has answered Fr.’s question: yes, she would be Mrs. Grosbeak! And, Quantitative: there is already a red-headed woodpecker, so another name had to be chosen for this fellow!
Here in Utah I know that spring is on the way when I see the first Mr. Robin Redbreast. The mourning doves are here now,filling the early morning sunrise with their cooing, and in April the swallows were making their mud nests at the Lind Lecture Hall at Weber State University–not caring that hundreds of students would pass within an arm’s reach.
The Canadian geese are also making an appearance as they are starting to make their way north. We have a couple of duck ponds in the city so all the game birds hang out there, knowing that they are safe :) Mr and Mrs. Woodduck hang out there too…the male is so handsome..
Yes Father, here in Wisconsin we have the same colorful selection, including little Indigo Buntings. No hummingbirds so far, but we haven’t put out the feeder yet.
Additionally, we have a mini-Capistrano here each year, as the swallows return in April or May. But they don’t approach the feeders. Rather they flit around picking flying insects out of the air as I mow the (5-acre) field. I look forward to their arrival as it means less bugs to bother me while mowing!
GOR: I have taken steps to bring some color to the feeders, .. by getting special feeders for orioles, and I don’t mean the Baltimoronic Orioles. An Indigo Bunting would be very welcome.