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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Enjoyment of the Garden from Indoors

Although frigid temperatures keep me inside during January, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the garden from indoors.

I watch birds and take photos. With limited foliage, it's easier to see and photograph birds.Here's a flock of Dark-eyed Juncos eating seeds from a Pampas bush. How many birds do you see? I counted 10.

A Brown Thrasher feeding off the ground near a feeder.

 

A Northern Flicker Woodpecker scavenging the ground for food.

An Eastern Towhee visiting friends at the bird feeder. I highly recommend putting a bird feeder where you can easily observe it from indoors.

6 Goldfinch on Feeder

If you enjoy watching and identifying birds, participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. From February 15  through 18, 2013, you count and identify birds. Your results can be entered online and tabulated with other bird counts across the country.

I have counted birds sighted from my windows or while out running errands. Last year, my husband and I parked at a country pond and counted Canadian Geese, Hood Mergansers, and Kingfishers.

Although temperatures are low, there are still opportunities to enjoy flowers.

A Periwinkle vine blooming in January. This was an unexpected surprise.

Potting a few pansies in the fall can bring you delightful glimpses of color during a bleak winter.

Don't forget a few indoor plants to challenge your green thumb. I've been blogging about an orchid and amaryllis that I'm babying through the winter. It's my first experience with an orchid, and the amaryllis has provided wonderful photo opportunities.

Time for Snowbirds

                                                                   Dark-eyed Junco

The lower temperatures of November bring a change to the bird population around the backyard feeder. Small gray sparrows called Dark-eyed Juncos migrate from the north to enjoy our relatively mild winter. This is why they’ve earned the nickname “snowbirds.” People that spend the winter in Florida or warmer climates are also known as snowbirds.

Dark-eyed Juncos are beautiful gray birds. The gray color varies from light shades to a dark shade called “slate.” Their belly is white and a flash of white tail feathers can be seen in flight.

They forage on the ground looking for seeds.