Busy, Busy Day

Could be that this day was just like any other. Perhaps I just ended up with more good shots from the cam than usual. Or maybe I couldn't decide which images I liked better than others and figured I would just share a lot.

Which ever. Just enjoy the birdcam-y goodness!

We start with another example of how fast the Jays come down to start feeding and another shot of yours truly barely making it to the back of the yard before they do.



Then they grab their favorite peanut from the mix and head up to the oaks to crack them open.



The young bunch will often just grab a nut that has already been liberated.



Sunflower seeds also are a Jay favorite. I have seen them gobble down several at a time, take them up to a branch then spit them up, one by one, to shell.



Not even sure what this is. Probably a raisin.



Jays used to grate on me when I was a child. Always so loud and screechy. However, they are now one of my favorite birds. Love that blue, so deep in the adults.



In low light the cam often makes some interesting captures. Since it is shooting more slowly, a fast moving bird often looks blurred or even rather ghost-like. But it sure does appear that this Blue Jay is freaked out by a headless dove!



However, with proper sunlight shining through we see that head is still there. Whew! Also, it shows us that the juvenile dove is still with us.



Nice shift to the White-winged Doves. Kind of a crazy shot but I love how it shows of that white edging and the comparisons between the two species.



I was wondering what that clanging was out back. Seems the doves have been fencing as witnessed by their crossed bills. En garde!



After the sword fighting has died down, Momma Cardinal swoops down for a snack.



There are always squirrel shots to wade through and every now and then I just get a smile from one or two. Like this one...



...and this one.



Getting long, I know, so I will close out this day with the Red-winged Blackbird family. I don't get a lot of good shots of the adult males. They either eat so fast or with their tails toward the camera. Even though it is not a great shot it does show the male pretty well, his bill covered with food.



The females always seem to be much neater when they eat.



The young male seems to be taking after Pop, sloppy bill and all.



Interesting day but the species counts are evening out. Can't wait until migration gets moving.

More Relaxed Today

The birds seemed to be in a much better mood today and the cam got some nice shots.

Ever wonder how long it takes for the birds to start feeding once I begin filling feeders? About as long as it takes me to walk from the tray feeder to the back feeder, apparently.



It doesn't take much longer for wave after wave to head down and pick out their favorite treats.



This adult female Red-winged Blackbird was very kind to pose so still. They are usually so twitchy they end up as a blur and they take off as soon as anyone heads outside.



So, it is also nice to have another good shot of this year's new male Red-winged Blackbird hanging out and feeding.



I have actually saw a few young females stopping by and the whole family makes visits sometimes in one big group before heading back to the wetlands down the street.

Chaos at the Feeder

Things are kind of frantic over at the tray feeder.

I blame the squirrels who started tackling the seed in pairs. I didn't know there was roof access!



The Mourning Doves were antsy but the cam caught a nice display showing those beautiful feathers.



Even the Jays, who normally feed together quiet nicely, were screaming at one another.



I will try to send some more positive vibes that way ASAP!

Things Are Looking Up

At least the birds are looking up a lot these days. Like this female Red-winged Blackbird. What could be up there?



The Blue Jays don't care. THey are stuffing their bills with every peanut they can grab.



However, that thing (whatever it is) has gotten the attention of the White-winged Dove.



What is it? We will never know...

A Feisty New Male Joins the Crew

Over the many years of having Red-winged Blackbirds visit our feeders I cannot recall ever seeing a young male brought by with Mom. They always end up being females. So I was quite surprised to get a great shot of a young male just the other day.



The females are still here, too. Mom and the young females share the feeders, even in the rain. Easy to see the difference of the bright wing patch on the male compared to all versions of the females.



This new male seems to have no trouble fending for himself as witnessed by him chasing off a dove during the steady rains we have been getting for the last week. Finally.



How rainy has it been? Check out this soaked pair of Mourning Doves. I am really surprised how well you can see the coloration on the male's neck here. Usually you have to catch them in the sun at the proper angles to get the dry feathers to flash their brilliance.



Perhaps it is easier for one to see in this closer view.



Finally, a larger White-winged Dove takes a turn trying to stare the ever present camera eye down.



I bet the dove blinked first...

Catching Up with the Cam

Still some nice birds showing up at the tray feeder. Even a couple of new ones.

The Titmice family is very active right now since the young are out feeding with them. Easy to hear them all the way across the house when they arrive.



Missing for a while, the Grackles begin arriving again during fledging time. Always a surprise when they fill the frame! Love all the iridescence.



I also love staring into those bright yellow eyes. Almost hypnotic.



The young Blue Jays are now able to grab the largest of peanuts all by themselves and the whole family rushes down early to beat the squirrels.



Time to check the next round. More tomorrow. To all the bird Dads out there, Happy father's Day!

Carolina Wren Encounter

No new picture for this post but I wanted to document the event.

I was just filling feeders and hear a quiet call from the Turk's Cap bushes near the back fence. A little exploring led me to the small outline of a young Carolina Wren. It was just singing away until it saw me. Then it did something almost unexpected. It started to hop along the branches toward me.

It stopped just feet away from me, still singing, and was seeming to be just checking me out. Definitely a young bird. This year's model. Which means we have a new generation now. Most likely the offspring of the Carolina Wren I posted about last year. I have been following his progress through the year and was happy a mate showed up late last year.

That bird actually demonstrates the same behavior by coming right up to me if I am out back at the same time. Must be the genetics. Or they just trust me. Either way, it is always a nice experience to have a bird show that much interest and trust about some hulking mammal walking around the yard.

Male House Finch

So, I'm walking out back to check feeders and there is a House Finch sitting on the bird bath. I got closer and it didn't move. In fact it let me get within a few feet of it before flying to a low branch not far away.

Odd thing is, finches are always jumpy and take off well before that close type of encounter. I got closer again and it eventually flew a bit more after I got within a couple of feet. I then went back inside to grab the camera. If it will let me get that open a shot...

By the time I got outside it had moved over to the kitchen side of the house. Back through the house, around the side, and find him again. This time he is sitting on a feeder, tilted to the right as birds do when staring up at a predator. O.K.

By the time I got close again it stood upright once it spotted me but then slowly drifted to the right again. Then it flew to a branch and seemed to drift again. Like it was falling asleep. I took a bunch of shots while I observed it a bit more.



Later, it was flying around and feeding so as far as I can guess it probably flew into a window or something and was a bit stunned for a time.

Almost makes me feel bad about getting such good shots. But since it appears alright now...thanks!

Even More Babies!

I knew we had male baby Cardinals around. Today, Daddy brought down a female baby to the feeder.



Meanwhile, Momma stopped by to check out the situation.



Returning to the scene was our baby Titmouse. Hungry, hungry. As usual, Titmice swing in really fast and grab a seed before heading up into the branches to eat.



Some people seem to have problems distinguishing between young Cardinal sexes but this shows them well. Here is our young female which is much more drab and uniformly colored overall.



While the young males quickly begin showing their brighter red feathers fairly soon after leaving the nest. Both sexes have dark bills until they reach adulthood when the bills become very bright orange and sometimes bright red.



A virtual nursery out back lately!

More Babies

Though not a really new find, the baby Northern Cardinals are starting to head out on their own and visiting the feeders alone. I have been trying to get shots of this young male but he has been too quick. The all-observing eye of the BirdCam got him, though!



As predicted a few days ago, the Titmice have raised a brood nearby and the proof is in the pictures with a new arrival of a young bird stopping by to grab a sunflower seed. Again, note the yellow gape at the back of the bill on the young bird as pointed out with the Jays on the last post.



Here is an interesting display of a White-winged Dove flexing for the camera. Who was challenging him?



We may be not too far off from seeing the young Red-winged Blackbirds as the mothers are now stopping by. The males have been feeding for a while as the females stayed with the babies. Now they must be either out of the nest or close to it as the Moms are helping to feed them. Usually, the chicks join them soon afterwards.



Good to see that the birds are successful again this year.

Blue Jays Have Babies

I thought there was a new Blue Jay added to the clan recently and now we have the proof. Here is baby grabbing a peanut. Note the yellow edges at the back of the bill know as the gape. Adult bird's bills are solid black all the way back as they are fully formed and rigid all the way to the head.



More surprising, we seem to have two new kids! At first I thought this was an adult helping the young one but the closer I look it also shows the gape edges. Nice!



Also dropping by is a Tufted Titmouse trying to find a spot among the Mourning Doves. Maybe their babies are not far off?



More monitoring to be done.