While visiting in Virginia Beach, VA, I got a few shots of mallards who were being fed by 2 little girls. The male of this pair would not let any other males get within 20 feet of this female.
The male and female downy woodpecker normally require a separation distance of 3 to 4 feet or the female will chase the male. They had a brief moment of fuss-free closeness in this shot.
Sleet came down steadily almost all day long which brought in some of the "show up once in awhile" birds looking for food. I was all lined up to get a shot of this male house finch when the female flew into the frame beside him.
Last year (2007) was the first year we had starlings stick around all winter. We have 6 of them here again this winter (2008) - in their winter plummage which is much brighter than in summer.
While I was focusing on what I thought was our lone tree sparrow, a second one showed up in the lens. Later I saw a third one, so they are starting to show up for the winter months. We usually have about 10 to 12 of them by January.
Managed to catch the male and female bluebird together over the weekend. There are 4 males and one female visiting regularly during the day. I believe they may be roosting in the enclosed mealworm feeder boxes at night to stay warm.
It was a bright sunny afternoon and this shot is a bit washed out, but it was my first opportunity to catch the evening grosbeak pair together. I'll try to get a better one if they hang around for the winter. I've expanded my perches with sunflower seeds on them to try and entice them to stay.
It is difficult to get this pair together as the males are dominant and usually chase at the females to keep them out of their space. The slightly brownish female is on the left.
