Friday, February 27, 2015

Characters at my Bird Feeder Part II (Videos)

 This is a continuation of Characters at my Bird Feeder. I offer photos and videos of birds that frequent my North Carolina bird feeder. Part 1 can be found at this link.



Tufted Titmice, Carolina Chickadees, and a pair of Brown-headed Nuthatch are featured in the above video. A White-throated Sparrow also perches on the feeder. I believe White-throats prefer to feed from the ground, but snow and ice prompted this behavior.

Male Northern Cardinal

Female Northern Cardinal

Cardinal

The perches on my Droll Yankee birdfeeder seem awkward for the larger Cardinals. Years past with other feeders, I had more Cardinal activity. However, there is a pair that can be counted on for a quick daily visit.


8 House Finch Below & 2 Perched on Feeder

House Finch

Prolific breeders. Families as large as 7 descend on the feeder and clean it out. They discourage the other birds by sitting on the feeder and pecking away newcomers.




Dark-eyed Junco

Dark-eyed Junco

These birds herald the coming of winter with a regular October arrival. They are not feeder birds, but will pick up dropped seeds. They feed in groups and exhibit a stunning variety of gray, charcoal, and black coloring.

Brown-headed Nuthatch


Brown-headed Nuthatch

Light cocoa-colored caps on these birds enchanted me from first sight. They make very quick visits to the feeder just grabbing a seed and eating out of sight. The video below shows one of these speedy trips. A Cardinal, Chickadee, and Tufted Titmouse are also in the video.



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Thursday, February 5, 2015

Characters at my Bird Feeder Part I (Videos)


Kitty watches Activity at the Bird Feeder

The kitchen sink window has a good view of my bird feeder. Over the years I've become quite familiar with the bird visitors.

Each season brings the same birds and we've become a family - tolerant of each others' habits. Let me tell you about these characters.



Brown Thrasher

Thrasher

Watching this guy under the bird feeder, explains the name. He swings his long beak side-to-side like a pendulum as it plows up the ground. This unearths dropped seeds and sprouts. He's the largest bird visiting my feeder, but gracious - not a bully. His long beak is scary, and he keeps the squirrels from taking over.

We have other Thrashers around, but this one shows up in the fall and maintains a solitary presence at the bird feeder all winter. I'm grateful to have him recycle dropped seed.





Carolina Wren

Carolina Wren

Wasteful. All the safflower seed in my feeder is the same, but this bird throws down 10 seeds for every 1 he keeps. Drives me nuts - this stuff is $20 a bag. I can't watch this waste, and have to leave the room. (In his defense, the Wren eats off the ground and may pick up some of his discarded seed.)





Tufted Titmouse

Tufted Titmouse

The pretty Titmice are regulars at the birdfeeder. Chirpy and sociable. I can count on them to hang around and entertain me while they eat.

Carolina Chickadee

Carolina Chickadee

These beautiful little black and white birds seem to be dressed in tiny tuxedos. They socialize in groups with the Titmice, and happily chirp.




Mourning Dove

Mourning Dove

Peaceful and quiet. Mourning Doves silently arrive in pairs and small groups to clear the ground around the bird feeder. They are terribly skittish though, and fly off with a squawk when I come near.






White-throated Sparrow


White-throated Sparrow


Like the Juncos, White-throated Sparrows arrive for winter and have a charming presence in my backyard. They eat off the ground around the feeder and seem to enjoy the company of other birds. By hopping and scratching with their feet, they unearth small bugs and seeds.

I recently learned that these sparrows' heads can be marked with either tan or white stripes. Males prefer white-striped females and females prefer tan-striped males. Either way, they have beautiful brown, tan, and white markings with the distinctive white throat.


I'll continue writing about my bird feeder visitors in Part 2. Characters at my Bird Feeder Part 2 is available here.


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