Birds Galore!

I am just amazed at the number of birds I’m getting at my back yard feeder. Ever since I changed the type of bird seed I use, my feeder has been a busy place in the mornings and evenings. (And even during the middle of the day, sometimes.) I bought a 20 pound bag of Garden Treasures Songbird Blend at Lowes for about $20 about a month ago, and it’s almost gone already. I bought another bag this past week, so I won’t run out. I don’t mind, though, because the birds are giving me such pleasure.

While I was off work last week, I not only worked in the garden, I also took time to eat my meals outside. With all that time outdoors, I saw quite a few birds at my feeder and around my yard. I loved hearing them sing to me while I worked. I tried getting pictures of them, but I missed so many shots because I wasn’t quick enough…even though I carry my cell phone on me when I’m outside. (It didn’t help that the birds never sit still.) However, I did get a few pictures. They may not be professional quality, but they’re not too bad for taking them “on the fly.”

The coolest bird to visit my feeder is this red-bellied woodpecker. When he visits, he hangs underneath the feeder and bobs his head into the tray to eat. He then flies to my gum tree and literally bounces his way around the trunk, in circles, then flies back to the feeder to eat some more. I love it.

Red-bellied woodpecker on my feeder

I don’t know what kind of sparrow this is, but I’ve seen several of them. They’re so cute.

Sparrow on my patio

A blue jay has begun visiting my yard. He seems to like what’s in my compost bin more than what’s in my bird feeder. He’s a quick fellow, and I had a difficult time getting this picture with the zoom on my cell phone.

Blue jay in front of my compost bin

I’m seeing more and more house finches at my feeder. I love their red heads.

House finch at my feeder

I now have three cardinals that visit my feeder daily. One is female and two are male. It’s fun to watch one male run the other one off. If male #1 isn’t around, then male #2 helps himself to the seed. However, I’ve seen male #2 try to sneak in and be run off in mere seconds by male #1. The funniest thing is when Mama cardinal sits on the branch and watches. Yep…”whoever wins, gets me.” 🙂

While in my living room last week, I caught male #2 sitting on my patio chair. The picture is through the screen door, but you can see that he doesn’t have a very prominent crown. That’s how I can differentiate him from male #1.

Male cardinal #2 on my patio chair

Here he is under the chair. I was able to move to the other side of the sliding doors and get a picture without the screen being in the way.

Male cardinal #2 on my patio

And here is male cardinal #1. While I was eating breakfast on my patio one morning, he sat in the tree branch near me and just watched me. It was nice having him as a breakfast buddy.