I have not posted about the feeders in a long time.
Here are a few shots.
This finch is doing his best Veloci-Chicken imitation as he looks out for danger.
I caught sight of a Killdeer a while back. I haven’t seen one around.
Just passing through, I think.
I had guests a while back and we were sitting all of a beautiful evening on the deck.
I caught sight of a little bird swooping out in 10′ to 15′ roundtrips from the tip top of the chapel.
I wasn’t quite sure what it was, though I guessed it was a fly-catcher of some sort.
I used the camera as a telescope.
Then it obliged me by flying straight over and sitting on a feeder hanger near the deck.
It did its Robert DiNero Taxi Driver thing for about a half minute and then went back to its pinnacle.
Eastern Phoebe.
There are entire fleets of Goldfinches right now.
They breed late in the season. All the babies are out of the nest and still begging.
They are noisy. They flap a lot.
As I write, there is a flock of Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks passing through.
I fear they are heading south.
Right now they are enjoying the black sunflower seeds which I have purchased through your donations. I will go put out some safflower as well. They like that. Perhaps some of the mixture with nuts, since they need the energy to migrate.
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Might your shorebird be a Spotted Sandpiper?
Killdeer rock.
I also think it’s not a killdeer. I agree the eastern phoebe is an eastern phoebe and they are fun to watch.
I had a parrot once who did a great veloci-parrot, and he shrieked at the top of his little lungs when the sound track to Jurassic Park came on. I miss him (birds and dogs do not go well together.)
My parrot used to bob his head up and down–looked just like those raptors…
Veloci-finch! Has a nice ring to it, no?
So glad to see a feeder feed post. It’s been a long week.
not a killdeer..looks like some sort of sandpiper..killdeer have an eerie cry…
Nice pictures, Father Z!
It’s so weird outside in the early mornings now-I don’t hear any birdsongs. I miss them.
It’s good to see the birdz again, Fr. Z. It had been a while. Veloci-finch, I’ll have to remember that.
The Killdeer is very cool. They nest out in the open on a grassy area (golf courses, etc.) If you come too near the eggs or babies, the parent will feign an injurgy, drag a wing and try to lure you away from the little ones! Valiant little birds. Thanks for the up-date on the Feeder Feed.
Father Z – you can’t know how much joy it brings me to see a priest watching the birds outside his window! I’m a park ranger/biologist turned seminarian, and I have a feeder outside my dorm room. As a native Westerner (New Mexico), it’s great to have a bunch of new Eastern birds at my feeder – especially cardinals. As for a couple of the birds here, the ‘killdeer’ is a juvenile spotted sandpiper, and the flycatcher is an eastern wood-peewee. It’s similar to an eastern phoebe, but smaller with a daintier bill and two wing bars. It also has a bushier crest than phoebes (typically). Looking forward to seeing more. Now if I could just see a pileated woodpecker at my suet feeder! God bless.