Today, we have
the first more winterish weather here - it’s been murky and sleety all day. The birds are not amused. I hope you have a warm spot and will bob into the week as effortlessly as this MoDo.
As I promised,
here are some more Bluebird photos. And it is funny, but sometimes I feel like my setup was just made for them, they usually get the best shots and videos. It might be their size but maybe also their behavior. They seemingly like to sit and examine. With resting birb face 🤣 The second to last photo nicely shows the color difference between male (left) and female (right) 💙
Like many other parts of the country,
we got a lot of rain yesterday. The birds got properly sokaed but many flocked to the feeders, even for “seed soup”. When you have larger feeders that are exposed to rain or moisture, make sure to check for signs of mold and change out the food and clean the feeders accordingly. I loved the eerie quality of this Goldfinch photo.
Today was a good day!
Something happened that I have been wishing to happen for as long as I have done this whole experiment. As you know I have been “stalking” a certain Cardinal teen, but he was not cooperating the way I wanted. Well, that ended today, and I present you him in all his polka dotted teenage glory. 😍 A White-throated Sparrow and several Juncos have also checked out the same area today, so I will place a camera there again tomorrow. But I am so happy to see his beauty up close finally! Young Cardinals are camouflaged and only start to get more color as they age. The beak turns to the characteristic orange-red when they are one year old. In the meantime, the plumage will pick up more and more red with the males. So there is only a certain time when they look like this. I love him!
Video: Finally!
I have been stalking this adorable little stinker for a couple of weeks now, a young Cardinal. I keep hearing it begging for food from the parents but the whole family is camera shy. This morning, however, he came for a sip at the bird bath. The beak is still brown and will only change to the characteristic red when the bird has reached one year of age. The plumage will slowly start to fill in more with color too. I love this "tie-dye" stage on them.
Apart from that, there is very little going on in the yard still. The leaves are starting to turn, the air smells like fall, and it is raining Black Walnuts. This means for me that winter prep is still ongoing. Each morning, I go out with a helmet on to collect them (they are big and fall from tall trees and I like my head). I also saw a Red-breasted Nuthatch this morning, which is wonderful news because you never know if they will return. Hopefully, it will also check out the camera feeders. Have a nice Wednesday!
Robins are the state bird of Michigan,
but they do migrate too, even if just within the state. I love Robins because they are a lot of fun to watch and listen to but also because they remind me a lot of a European bird I love, the Eurasian Blackbird. American Robins look basically like them but have a lot more color going on. I did not see any for a while but right now, a group is visiting, exploring the feeders, searching the lawn and taking baths.
I love the little surprises
that are always possible during migration times and even normal times. Yesterday, Count Grackula made a surprise visit to the yard! It has been what feels like a month since I last saw a Grackle, so this was wonderful to see. He didn’t stay long but he found some nutrition for his travels here. Today it is once again raining, so yesterday was a great day to travel for a migrating bird.
And from big to small, the rough looking cutie is a molting Goldfinch. You can still see the bright and vibrant yellow of their summer feathers but the milder brownish tones of their winter plumage are coming in too.
I hope you are not sick
of seeing Hummingbirds yet. Because here are some more from yesterday. I personally like this small feeder that we made ourselves because it centers the bird nicely in the frame, but as I mused before, it does not seem to be a favorite of the birds. However, yesterday, there was a very cooperative visitor, and I think maybe the regulars are snubbing me with the experimental feeders but the travelers are just hungry and go for anything. We had a big storm last night, which possibly helped migrants on their way south, so we will see how long the tiny winged jewels will still come here. I did see Orioles still yesterday too. If you want to follow bird migration along, check out https://birdcast.info, they have some really cool maps. Have a great Wednesday!
Video: Happy National Hummingbird Day!
How befitting on this date because I am seeing more Hummingbirds than all season. This little love came for a very relaxed sip today at around 11 am. I left it uncut because it is fun to see him go and look around, show off his tongue and also how cool his plumage looks with all those shades of green. I say he because I think this is a young male because I think I spot some kind of “beard shadow” but I am not sure. I keep hoping for one with a single red feather shooting in, we will see.
Video: Hummer fun!
Yellow jackets and Bald-faced hornets get sugar hungry towards the end of the season and can spoil the fun for birdwatchers as well as birds. At least for the Hummingbirds, I find these dish-style feeders a great solution to keep stinger insect devil at bay. These feeders do not leak, and they are quick and easy to clean. On top of that, the birds seem to like them too. There is not really much else happening, so I am enjoying the tiny winged jewels to the fullest. Come good into the week!
And here's a MoDo
showing a threatening pose. Probably because another bird was sitting on the camera box and the MoDo did not want to share. They lift their wings like sails and puff up their chests to look more impressive. If that does not help, they will also peck. Such goofballs. Have a pleasant Thursday and keep your sails down. Sharing is caring, especially when it comes to food.
Dr. Clara and Mandrake
have not returned to the nestbox recently, but they are still hanging around, and with them are usually two to three young ones. This Bluebird season has been a bit less exciting than in previous years, which kind of fits the whole birdwatching summer this year, but I hope they stick around and will be frequent visitors in fall and winter, which is what they usually do.
Since there are plenty of them around
right now, here is another gallery of the blue screemers. Young and old, molting and not, individuals or groups. It feels like they are watching when I come out because as soon as I step away from a refill, they will be on the feeder. The babies are just so wonderfully goofy at that young age.
(Top row: adults, middle row: two young, a parent on the left and a baby on the right in the middle, baby, bottom row: all young ones (the photo in the middle captured Blue Jay spirit perfectly)
Blue Jay babies
are all over the backyard right now, vocally as well as in numbers. I always find it interesting to see how individual birds differ in regards to markings or even age. In this little selection, there are some older ones as well as one that looks like it just stumbled out of the nest (the first one). As you can see, they also love mulberries.
The baby Blue Jays
are all over the backyard now, exploring baths, feeders and plants. I absolutely adore these creatures with their curious and utterly cute faces and behavior. Some of them have been getting into the large Mulberry tree on the neighbor’s lot that is a huge bird magnet. If you wonder how to tell they are youngsters apart from the behavior - check out the pink edges of their beaks.
Now that July is here,
more and more bird babies are coming to explore the backyard. Some are camera shy, others not so much. It always stops me in my tracks when I am out there and see them, I just stand there and watch. They are mood boosters, they instantly make you smile. Here’s a baby MoDo, one of the several Orioles and a Bluebird baby. I hope to see more of all of them, and I hope the Cardinal brood will step into the spotlight too - they have at least two youngsters.
Video: Not the Nasturtium!
We plant a little flower patch each year around the bird bath, and this year, the nasturtiums are plenty. I was so happy because I love using them in the kitchen, but I guess others like them too 😆 (I know that groundhogs can damage gardens and sheds, but we have one every year and the house and garden are still standing.)
On this rainy day,
the baby penguins finally appeared. The forecast for the next two days is not much better ,and I am a bit nervous about all the bird bests in the trees. But yes, still, the baby pwenguins are finally here, and I am utterly in love.
Much like the human world,
the bird world is full of drama and posing. Somehow, though, it is much more enjoyable to look at. Of course I am injecting a bit of anthropomorphism into this, I sometimes can’t help myself. It has been hot and humid with the occasional thunderstorm, and the birds that came to the feeders puffed up to stay cool (in both senses of the word, look at that Grack!) or get dry.
(Red-winged Blackbird, Blue Jay, MoDo, female Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Grackle)
Nestbox update: Bluebirds
I have enjoyed peeking into the nestbox via camera all week, and am happy to report that everything looks fine with these Bluebird babies. The fifth egg hatched one day later than the first four, but all babies look healthy and have been growing well. The summer weather is a two-sided coin, I am always a bit nervous about them getting too hot, but I think it is also giving Dr. Clara a break because she does not have to sit in the box the whole time. When she does, Mandrake often comes to bring food. There are plenty of insects in our yard so I am fairly sure that this brood has a good start in life. I will post some more videos later this weekend.