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It was an exciting morning for birding here at The Hermitage. While getting ready for work, I noticed a red-shouldered hawk out my window, harassing a pileated woodpecker & chasing it around. I was astonished the hawk would go after such a huge bird (particularly as there was at least 100 smaller birds all over my backyard.) Unfortunately the movement was too frenetic to capture on camera, but here's a chipping sparrow & a goldfinch watching a few other birds heading for the brush;
In the midst of the hawk excitement, I saw a couple of crows flying over my house, carrying nesting materials in their beaks. Unfortunately I didn't get them on camera, either, but here's some goldfinches, chipping sparrows, a female cardinal and a white-throated sparrow;
As usual, a squirrel was pilfering sunflower seeds while the getting was good. Actually, it was unusual to only have the ONE squirrel, but I digress. He really perturbed this poor blue jay, who looked at me at one point as if to say, "Well...Are you going to scare him off or what?"
I also saw a male red-bellied woodpecker (the photo didn't come out very well, as he was heading behind some leaves.) I haven't seen a male in months, so I was quite pleased. This cheeky little goldfinch kindly posed for me;
There were also chickadees, tufted titmice, brown-headed nuthatches, doves & more of "the usual" cardinals around. Here are more chipping sparrows (there's usually at least 30 at a time out here during the Winter,) a white-throated sparrow and a female eastern towhee;
The movement out back was constant & frenetic. We often have quite a few birds through the Winter, but today really seemed record-breaking. I suspect some of our Winter visitors are getting ready for their trip back North. It'll be hard to say goodbye to the goldfinches, sparrows & robins, but I'm sure they'll be back again next year.
In the midst of the hawk excitement, I saw a couple of crows flying over my house, carrying nesting materials in their beaks. Unfortunately I didn't get them on camera, either, but here's some goldfinches, chipping sparrows, a female cardinal and a white-throated sparrow;
As usual, a squirrel was pilfering sunflower seeds while the getting was good. Actually, it was unusual to only have the ONE squirrel, but I digress. He really perturbed this poor blue jay, who looked at me at one point as if to say, "Well...Are you going to scare him off or what?"
I also saw a male red-bellied woodpecker (the photo didn't come out very well, as he was heading behind some leaves.) I haven't seen a male in months, so I was quite pleased. This cheeky little goldfinch kindly posed for me;
There were also chickadees, tufted titmice, brown-headed nuthatches, doves & more of "the usual" cardinals around. Here are more chipping sparrows (there's usually at least 30 at a time out here during the Winter,) a white-throated sparrow and a female eastern towhee;
The movement out back was constant & frenetic. We often have quite a few birds through the Winter, but today really seemed record-breaking. I suspect some of our Winter visitors are getting ready for their trip back North. It'll be hard to say goodbye to the goldfinches, sparrows & robins, but I'm sure they'll be back again next year.
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10 comments:
Detroit has nowhere near the variety of birds, but we do have a variety in squirrels that's unusual.
Birds huddling in bushes during icy snow storms is a bit humbling -- they're so tiny, yet such survivors.
Birds are so amazing! Great post as always and good birding to you!
Erik; Sometimes it surprises me that such teensy birds can survive such harsh conditions. We humans have it far better than we realize!
Birdfreak; Thanks & back atcha. ;)
Sweet photos, Lana! Your story really makes me long for spring.
Have a great weekend! :)
The blue jay and the squirrel are priceless! We saw massive flocks of migratory birds while near the coast this afternoon - just checked the book, - they were migratory lapwings.
Lisa; Thanks! You, too. :)
Julie; Very cool sighting!
With all that activity in the yard, it must have been difficult to finish getting ready and get to work on time.
Marvin; I was actually a few minutes late. <:\ Fortunately my manager's a nature nut, too.
*Great* birds. We get some pretty good ones too, including oddball NZ species like pukeko, but I lack your clear talent for shooting them...
Steve; Thanks. I find shooting them at my feeders is infinitely easier than trying to get them in the wild. Only here will they "stand still" (relatively speaking,) while I hide behind my "blind" (shooting through a tiny window in my back door.)
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