Look Who's Come to Dinner

Feeder Problems

Towhee & Thrush

This Eastern Towhee joined my Hermit Thrush at the feeder today.  With the snow falling all day I had quite a variety of birds visiting.  Even some starlings who flew off when I opened the window. 

Feeder Time

Now that the pine tree has lost half it's branches we get a lot more sun on the birdfeeders.  Most of my birds are acclimated to my camera leaning out the bedroom window through my vertical Blind.  Some of them more than others.  It took over a year for the Red-bellied Woodpecker to allow this and the Hermit Thrush, who just appeared two days ago, was having none of it.  So he's shot through the window and during the snow storm.  But the rest were shot in the brilliant, pine treeless sunshine.  The snow makes a great light reflector.

Working It

Feeder Update

I had a few new birds on my feeders recently.  The Harry Woodpecker (still waiting to get a photo not through the glass) and the Chipping Sparrow (totally adorable little bird.)  And not nearly as exciting but still fun to watch, the Catbird struggles to hang on.  The nuthatches (white and red breasted) will be leaving soon.  And one little guy, the Brown Creeper, hasn't been around since I moved the feeder off the tree.  I might need to do something about that. 

New Start

After half a day of impossible anticipation my new camera arrived at 11:57am weighing 7.3lbs.  Well okay that's the weight of the box with it's extras but don't be surprised if I send out announcements for my new gender neutral baby.  The UPS guy faked me out around 9am when he stealthily dropped off my new bank card without hanging around to explain where my camera was and if it was really coming.  I nearly passed out.  Having been without a bank card for several days you'd think I would have been happy to have it.  But I just tossed it aside.  Despondent.  Seriously.  When he came back around noon the UPS guy explained that the card had to be delivered by 10am and the camera was too hard to get to at that time.  I forgave him.  But only because I was too distracted by my new box to care.  So at long last these are a few new photos (test photos if you will) from my new camera.  The spectacular thing about them is that they were taken with ISO 3200.  A setting my D80 didn't even have. 

I Know, I Know

I know it's time to put away the Christmas bird feeder.  But seriously...it's way too much fun.

Picking His Brain

This is one way to get seed from a snowman.  The chickadees will hop all the way into the belly.  Looks like this Tufted Titmouse is considering a similar move but he's a bit bigger. 

Red-bellied

The best thing about moving the bird feeder is that now it's in the sun for at least part of the day.  That makes it so much easier to get decent shots.  This Red-bellied is my favorite.  I recognize his call now so I always know when he's here.  Hopefully he'll start bringing a lady around sometime soon. 

Ingenuity

Back to the grind today.  I didn't feel settled until it was almost time to go home.  Looking forward to being ever so productive tomorrow.  The birds are pretty bold about stealing from the inside of the snowman.  The chickadees will actually hop down into the bottom ball. 

Party!

If the feeder is full I've seen these guys eating away from about 6pm to 6am.  I'm not sure if it's the same squirrels or if they take it in rotation. 

Flying Squirrels

I'm pretty sure as a child I thought flying squirrels were in the same category as paint that would render you invisible, in other words, imaginary.  But at some point last year I noticed that Manassas Battlefield National Park had flying squirrel photos on their website.  And that's when it first occurred to me that I might actually be able to see a flying squirrel.  (In between 8 and 41 I think I developed the idea that flying squirrels could be found in other countries/locations like maybe Brazil or the Amazon or something.)  I got even more excited when I saw a photo someone took at Hawk Mountain of a flying squirrel at a bird feeder.  But I can honestly say I did not think I would ever see one at my own feeder.  Well I didn't.  I saw at least 5.  This is so exciting it warrants an extra post for today. 

A Days Work

Goldfinch

Carolina Wren

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

White-throated Sparrow

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Downy Woodpecker

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Blue Jay

White-breasted Nuthatch

House Finch

Mourning Dove

Chipmonk

Squirrel

Cardinal

Tufted Titmouse

Dark-eyed Junco

Song Sparrow

Chickadee, probably Black-capped

American Robin

So this is a round up of almost everything I saw in and around my feeder today.  The activity was amazing.  Birds that I've never seen near my feeder before were dropping by to check it out.  Every time I tried to break away to do something else I would rush back to discover I'd missed something like the Red-bellied Woodpecker and the Red Fox.  Never managed to get a photo of either.  I still have to figure out how to get some light in the area around the feeder.  Many of the photos are a bit (or a lot) grainy.