I cannot believe
that April is almost here now. Temperatures are looking very nice for the coming days, as well as the migration monitors online (this is a fantastic and fascinating source: https://birdcast.info/). The backyard is still slowly revocering from winter, and there has been a nice steady activity all week. Here are a couple of the current regulars. Have a wonderful Easter weekend!
(Titmouse, Pine Siskin, Redwinged Blackbird, Goldfinch, Goldfinch, Downy Woodpecker)
Birds are wonderful
photo subjects for all kinds of reasons, but there are some with which I am always hoping for certain things to happen and capture. Right now, the Redwinged Blackbirds are in perfect constant near-explode mode, which results in the most hilarious but also most gorgeous photos.
I shouldn't have spoken
about spring yesterday, because this is what we got today. I do not mind it because I don’t have to drive, it looks beautiful and snow days always have lots of bird activity. Stay warm and be safe out there!
Do you have special songs,
smells or sounds that instantly transport you to a time or place? These guys do that for me. Once I am hearing them, I know spring is on the way. Male Redwinged Blackbirds usually appear first, along with Grackles, but yesterday, I also saw the first females, as well as some Cowbirds. So despite the snow this morning, spring is really unfolding!
I guess it is time,
spring is really underway. In the last two days, several Grackles and Redwinged Blackbirds have stopped by. They may be a week early but otherwise are very timely for this time of the year. I am very happy to see something other than Mourning Doves and Goldfinches at the feeder, and I feel like I have to adjust my cam settings a bit to accommodate the larger birds. Here’s to a happy weekend!
The summer months
are one of my favorite times for birding because it is the height of variety, and there are so many baby birds too. For July and August, I had a hard time choosing photos, so here you see some of the alternatives I considered, along with the two final choices, the Red-bellied Woodpecker and the dramatic Blue Jay (taking a sun bath). The immature Orchard Oriole was a fabulous surprise, and I always love the look of the immature Red-winged Blackbirds. Well, and I love Blue Jay babies in all their loud, demanding and adorable glory.
Things have slowed down
and migration for some birds has already started. I haven’t seen Grosbeaks in a couple of days, and Oriole activity has also slowed down. There is the occasional Hummingbird but nothing like in previous years, fitting for this slightly underwhelming season. But there are still lots of young birds around, and I love watching them with their interesting markings and adorable faces. Young Redwinged Blackbirds are particularly cool looking, with their peachy faces and pink beak corners. At some point, they molt into adult feathers, and you can see some of that in different stages here too.
The evenings are getting cooler
but the garden still thrives, and there are sill many many baby birds around. This is the time where I like to put a camera to the ground to try and capture some of the more camera-shy visitors. The Blue Jays are very entertaining and all over the yard, the Grackle youngster are getting teen feathers, the Redwinged Blackbirds are bringing their peachy-faced babies, there are still Grosbeaks around, and today, a teen Cardinal visited too. As always when a cam is on the ground, some furries have access too.
And here is an assortment
of bird moms. When I was a new birdwatcher, I mistook the parent birds for the babies because they look so unkempt, you can see this here on the Chickadee, but Bluebirds and many other go through the same. It takes a lot of energy to raise tiny baby birds, which is why they all look a bit scraggly, as the summer proceeds. The Grosbeaks and RWBB will also soon have fledglings. Exciting times are ahead, and I will try to be a bit more diligent about posting. Also, happy Juneteenth!
The frost warning from last night
was hopefully the last one for the season. I moved the baby plants to a sheltered spot and was happy I had not planted anything yet. And it is warming up outside again now. There are nests, full and empty, finished or in progress, all over the place. I know the Grackles have babies because the other day I found Grackle egg shells in the pond, and now they drop their diapers in there and come to dunk nuts in the water too. And yesterday, there was this dedicated parent with a beak full of insects. The Redwinged Blackbird is in this set too because it’s such a pretty photo.
We are having a nice week
ahead of us with very mild temperatures that will wake up gardens and wildlife from their winter slumber, while migration still continues. This weekend, female and nonbreeding male Redwinged Blackbirds arrived here. The females look distinctively different but if you pay attention to some details like beak shape and some color hints, you can tell what they are. The Robins are also frolicking around, and I would not be surprised to see them starting to build nests this week. I may even consider setting up the pond, if work time permits.
We are in the middle
of typical April weather chaos, with a tornado watch today and thunderstorms the other night, and it sometimes feels like the change or air pressure just whips all the male birds into more of a frenzy. The Redwinged Blackbirds are competing vocally as well as visibly, and I love how they are somewhat goofy but also super elegant.
Hormones are beginning to rage,
resulting in an amazing symphony of calls and melodies by the competing males. But the bird ladies also get to enjoy impressive, dramatic and sometimes hilarious visual displays, like here from Redwinged Blackbird and Grackle.
More snow is in the forecast
for tonight but spring vibes are wafting through the yard like an unstoppable force. So far I have only heard Robins and not seen them yet but I am sure it won’t be much longer. The Grackles and Redwinged Blackbirds are filling the air with their distinctive raspy calls, and show off to each other in the sunshine. It is a time of promise that not even more snow can dampen.
March is well on its way
into spring, and it is noticeable when you step outside right away. The Redwinged Blackbirds and Grackles have even started to puff up already, and it is glorious to listen to and watch. The Titmice have also become a lot more vocal, and the Goldfinches are turning more and more yellow, changing into summer feathers. It is just so lovely to see the changes.
Despite the snow today,
spring is definitely coming, and there are signs everywhere. One of them is that the Starlings are beginning to change into their summer plumage. They are losing the spots and become glossy and iridiscent, the beaks are turning yellow, and the legs are becoming more red. They are travelling in groups with Grackles, Cowbirds and Redwinged Blackbirds, one of which also visited today. It appears to be an immature male.
This week has been interesting.
It started with almost a spring-feel but ended with an icestorm. The backyard looked beautiful this morning, the lawn covered in frosted dew, and frozen, molty-looking layers over every branch. The trees were glistening with ice. Nevertheless, the hints of spring were becoming more pronounced. Today, there was not just one Grackle, but several, same for Redwinged blackbirds, and a Cowbird was present too. All good stuff for the Great Backyard Birdcount. If you haven’t participated yet, check it out, it is a lot of fun!
Calendar birds - February and March
The birds for February and March in my calendar are an adorable House Finch on a frosty morning and a Redwinged Blackbird against a dramatic sky. I loved the light in both of these photos, it created a cool mood and made the birds stick out nicely. My calendars are available in four different formats with customizable spines in my shop here: https://tinyurl.com/wa8jmt44
This unusually mild fall
has resulted in the latest Grackles and Redwinged Blackbird I have seen in my yard. These two are from yesterday and the day before. I have not seen any today yet, and we had the first snow here this morning. The Redwinged Blackbird is an immature male, and I totally love his markings. (Just as I am writing this, I am seeing a RWBB outside.)
I guess the first frost
was just the first load of “fake fall” because this weekend, temperatures rose again, and it was beautiful outside. The birds all enjoy what nature has to offer on these days, and there is not a lot going on at the feeder. I am trying to get the White-throated Sparrow to take a mug shot but haven’t been lucky so far. He does like the bird bath though. Anyways, here are some regulars and a traveler. The Redbellied Woodpecker I find most interesting, here for the second fall. Is it a boy or a girl? The Nuthatches are one of my favorites right now, almost divebombing me at the feeders and being very tame. Come good into Monday! (Redbreasted Nuthatch, Redbellied Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Redwinged Blackbird)
