Monday, January 10, 2011

Bird Action

We've had fun watching the birds at our feeders lately. The area outside our family room window had just been aflutter . These are mostly what my sister-in-law, who like big birds, refers to as LGBs (Little Gray Birds), but up close, they are so much more. Unfortunately, since they are small, and very lively, they are hard to photograph, so please excuse my showing you so many blurry photos. I'll keep trying harder to do better. The Black Capped Chickadees are ever present. More colorful, and almost always present, are the Chestnut Backed Chickadees. I had a terrible time capturing these guys. Chickadees never park themselves at the feeder. Instead they perch, grab one seed, and then fly off to a tree or bush to eat the seed before coming back for another. They will sit longer on the suet feeder.
In the distance a Steller's Jay made a brief appearance. Oregon juncos are also ever present, but usually work the ground. Then it's as if they decide it's their turn, and they park themselves on the feeders.
This little beauty has been showing up every day lately. It's a Townsend's Warbler.
And we've also been getting daily visits from a flock of pine siskins.
But it's when the flock of bush tits arrive that the action really picks up, as they flutter and fight for their turn at the feeders, and mob the suet.
I took a little stroll around the yard this afternoon and found another LGB flitting in the shrubbery. This shy Bewick's wren was also hard to capture, but it's there, blending into the brown of the winter garden.

10 comments:

  1. They are all beautiful. I enjoyed looking at all of your little visitors.

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  2. The bushtits are having a blast at your feeder! That is a great shot of them. I enjoyed all of your photos!

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  3. Me too! I love the warbler picture, especially, but they are all wonderful. I also have bushtits that mob the suet feeder all at once like that. Last winter I had tons of pine siskins but this year they are scarce. The goldfinch are not scarce, though, and I can hardly keep enough in the upside-down feeders for them. Thanks for sharing your bird shots.

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  4. What fun to see so many feathered friends visiting. I loved seeing all your photos, Linda! I'm never quite sure what kind of bird I'm looking at other than the usual dove, mynah, bulbul, sparrow or finch.

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  5. You have a lot of very beautiful birds in your country Linda. Good to see then in your photos and well done for feeding them - Dave

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  6. fun photos, you know your birds. action shots are difficult. I think there's a special setting for them on most cameras. good luck.

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  7. Cute!!! I give you credit for so patiently trying to photograph them. Good job!

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  8. I think you're photos a great and I enjoy seeing the LGBs of your area. That junco is beautiful! We have chickadees, but not the chestnut backed ones.

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  9. Blurry or not it is always great fun to see bird shots. Those little guys move so fast anyway they are blurry in real life. LOL

    I was house sitting for my Daughter and son-in-law while they and my Grandson(who attends Eastern Wa) went to Texas to see EWU win their division and become football champs (go Eagles) against the Delaware Blue Hens--20 to 19--a heart stopper. 13 straight wins for them. They had fun and I enjoyed the peace and quiet in Ritzvile. MB

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  10. Wow...great assortment of birds...Your little dees are lucky. I have been watching the little black caps take snow baths. I can't find it written that they do that, but these are the same ones who sunbathe on the deck.....

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