Winter has returned
with quite a bit of snow this morning, and it was awesome watching the Cardinal share the food bowl with a cheeky American Tree Sparrow and some Juncos.
There is a leucistic Junco around,
and Birdsy has captured it on video (you can watch on my Youtube and my social mediachannels, video uploads are always a bit of a pain here) but so far I was not lucky with photos. I have set a camera on the ground in the thicket for that, and even if it did not lure in the Junco yet, it has still gotten some visitors. It almost feels like the birds need to learn to not be shy with my cameras again, it’s been so long since a Downy has visited. The Cardinal is one of several that are hanging around.
As a lovely surprise,
the King and Queen of the Yard finally visited the photo setup again too. It was cloudy so things look a bit murky. Today, the sun is out, let’s hope they come back for more. Stay warm and have a fabulous Tuesday! If you’re shopping for Christmas presents, check out my calendars here.
While they are always around,
they tend to stay away from cameras during busy times but more recently the Cardinals have made it back in front of the lens. I have seen at least two youngsters too (one is in the picture with the male), and I hope to snap some shots of them soon too. In the evenings, several couples gather to eat the spills of the day.
Due to some
maintenance work, the live cams will be off for a couple of days, and I won't be able to post. Things will be back to normal next week. To hold you over, here is the King. Enjoy the outdoors and listen to the
Extreme weather days
always make for some good birdwatching, and the feeders were buzzing at times yesterday despite the freezing rain. The light was murky, but this just kind of makes their colors pop. Here are some of the visitors. Top left to bottom right: American Goldfinch, Eastern Bluebird, Blue Jay, House Finch, Redbellied Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal.
It is funny how much
my backyard birding reports are sounding like weather reports 😆🤪 But here we go. Today was the last more extremely cold day for a bit. It will still be wintery but not to the point where you have to use face cream to prevent frostbite (my middle German cheeks are still sensitive to extreme cold). The wind was icy and blowing, and there was not a lot going on. A group of Starlings came over and wrecked the bird baths and shooed everybody away, but there was also sun and I got these three beauties. Come good into the weekend!
As someone from the middle of Germany,
I have always loved having four seasons, and Michigan is a great place to be with that. I can see beauty in all four of them, and it is lovely to have them all here. Snow days are fun because there is a bit more activity at feeders, and I love the pale background for photos too. The birds are all slightly more agitated as well, which can produce some fun shots. Here are some from today. It is wonderful to see more of the Titmouse again. The Goldfinches are still quite vibrant, and having the King of the Yard over is always a treat.
This weekend,
we decorated the house for the season, and I also added a bit of bling to the bird baths. Now all we need is some cold and snow. But we had some sun and the King of the Yard came for a visit. Cardis and sun are almost as good of a combination as Cardis and snow. I consider them nature-made decoration.
Good morning!
Nothing much is going on right now, in the last two days winter has returned with frosty temps. The forecast is looking good though. Gayle the Bluebird has taken a little break from nestbuilding, the Juncos are still around but there are also more signs of spring. Groundhog and Chipmunk are back, and earlier today I saw a Cardinal feeding wifey, which is part of their courtship. Here’s to a good Tuesday, stay warm!
The royal couple
has made themselves a little rare recently, maybe because the feeders were often occupied by Starlings and Mourning Doves, but the King finally secured a seat on the crystal again and enjoyed the breeze going through his glorious feathers.
It is funny how when it gets colder,
the Cardis are coming out more and more. They do look like ornaments in the trees and just delight with their shenanigans and their spectacular hairdo.
This particular one is dedicated to Kris who we heard is a huge Cardinal lover. Kris, we wish you and your loved ones strength and good energy and send you all the love. Have a wonderful Christmas!
When the sun comes out
and teams up with snow, even royalty cannot remain all sophisticated and needs to let some goof out.
Since we are talking couples,
here’s the King and Queen of the Yard. I know in reality there are more than two, and they love to go to the bath in the early mornings and late evenings. It is going to be fun to see them all against a snowy backdrop.
The King of the Yard
is just checking in to make sure you have a good day. There is a whole group of Cardinals here now, and the males have all varying degrees of red on them. I am really fond of this look with the greys in it.
The Cardis
are becoming a little bit more accustomed to the camera, it seems. Or maybe they are just more easy about it because the larger birds are not around in such great numbers anymore. anyways. Here is a beautiful Queen of the Yard and a young King. He still has some black on his beak and he was too close to be in focus, but I hope he will return. The Cardinals seem to have had a really good summer.
The youngster
ist still elusive, but the King of the Yard himself showed today how nicely the molt has been going.
The other day,
I saw a young Cardinal in the yard, much to my surprise! The nest I found earlier this spring was not successful and I thought maybe there won’t be any Cardi babies this year. There are several adults around, and the males are always chasing each other. In between, they sit down to take a snack and pretty portraits though. And then the chase is back on.
Video: King of the Yard at the bath
A royal bath in the evening light, and the King of the Yard went all by himself.
