This adult male bluebird landed on a poplar tree branch while waiting his turn at the mealworm box. He seemed very content to rest patiently with his feathers nicely fluffed.
It is so nice to still have our bluebirds around. They have obviously found a winter food source (most likely a nearby sumac patch) and come here to snack on mealworms several times a day. This female was letting the young male have the first turn inside the mealworm box.
I love it when it snows all day. The bird activity is more lively as they congregate to tank up on seed and suet. The trees and bushes have a fluffy layer of snow on them making for nice bird photo settings. I spent alot of time photographing all the birds that visited our spruce tree in front of our house. Of course I encouraged their seed hunting behavior by sprinkling millet and black sunflower seeds on all the branches.
Female Junco in Snowy Spruce Tree
Posted:
December 11, 2008
This pretty female junco (brownish tint on her wings) is taking a break from nibbling the millet seed I sprinkled in one of our spruce trees.
This squirrel has unusual white markings on his ears. Our shepherd mix Kira and our gray cat Phantom lay side by side at the dining room sliding glass door quietly watching his every move.
December 10, 2008 - Red-tailed Hawks Soar Over House
Since the temperature has dropped into the teens, a pair of red-tailed hawks that roost in the woods across the road have gotten into a morning ritual of soaring over our house to start their day (too high to get photos). As they circle upward together, one of them lets out a load screaming sound. Fortunately they never seem to bother our feeder birds. They usually head off to soar along the nearby ridges.
Bluejay Fluffed to Stay Warm
Posted:
December 10, 2008
When the windchill is sub-zero, the bluejays crouch down into fluffy balls to cover their feet from the wind and keep their bodies warm.
This starling in winter plumage was standing on alternate feet as he struggled to keep his feet warm. The temperature was in the teens and the wind was blowing 30MPH. He kept looking in the mealworm box as if he wanted to climb in and get out of the wind, but the holes are only big enough for bluebirds.
Here is the male cardinal that was following the female around the yard from tree to tree. I believe he is the father to the other male cardinal in our yard who is this year's youngster.
Our two male hairy woodpeckers play chase in our yard. This locust trunk is one of their favorite play spots. They both land at the bottom and circle rapidly upward chasing each other. I believe they are dad and this year's youngster.
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