Early February BirdCam Roundup

Been busy all over the state so it was nice to get back to a few minutes to review some BirdCam photos and see what was hanging out back for a while. So, here is the quick round-up.

Though the Northern Cardinals are ever present, they have been absent from the cam shots for a while. So, it was nice to see the female heading down to grab a quick pose before heading back out.



The Western Palm Warbler is still pilfering the fruit bits from the feed. Not any Myrtle Warblers yet but they are busy near the lakes.



My local Carolina Wren I banded a while ago is still waking up very early in the mornings and occasionally stopping by for a snack.



Better, still, his mate arrived at the feeder to snack, as well.



Finally, the best capture. The Indigo Bunting is still around for the season. It is not calling as much in past years but it is great to see it is still hanging around.



No Goldfinches this year but that could be due to some much available food in the area since we are having a very warm Winter for the first time in years. I will keep watching the cam shots by the end of the month and see what we shall see!

BirdCam Roundup

The BirdCam has been running again for quite some time but other bird trips and demands have kept me from doing more than scanning and deleting a bunch of the shots so here is a collection from the past month that I found interesting.

Most of the shots are of Mourning Doves, of course. They are usually jockeying for position so most of the shots end up blurry. This is a nice clear one.



For some unknown reason, every now and then the cam takes a shot that is a little to a lot of purple. Sometimes it makes for a nice duotone.



One bird species we see, and hear, everyday is the Tutfted Titmouse. However, they are so quick that it is hard to get a shot of them and when the camera snaps a shot of them they usually have their backs to the camera. Stopping to stare helped this time.



This Winter we have a new guest at the feeders. A Western Palm Warbler has been flying in once the seed level is a bit lower. This mix has a little bit of fruit in it but most others birds don't seem to like that. Usually we have a Catbird eating the fruit but I haven't seen it this year. Instead, the Palm Warbler seems to love it!



I stopped putting out whole peanuts to save money last Summer. As a result, our Blue Jays abandoned us. Two days after I started the peanuts again...



Finally, one of my favorite birds has been hitting the feeders. I banded this particular Carolina Wren when he first arrived in the yard a few years ago. He was a young bird at the time. He and his mate started living in a wind chime I hung by the front door. The wind chime has a watering can at the top and he moved in a couple days after it was put up.



Hoping to get another shot of the Indigo Bunting that has returned again this year. It should be there in between the hundreds of dove and squirrel shots I will discard.

Revisiting the BirdCam

Being short on funds last year really had me cutting back. Sadly, one of the obvious cutbacks was bird seed. Got enough mouths to feed. So I shut off most of my feeders at the beginning of Summer. I also shut down the BirdCam. It was hot, seed was costly, I was unemployed and not happy.

Now, back in a full-time job and seeing more migrating birds, I decided to get it running again. Birds being captured in the lens haven't changed much. The unit is even more beat up. Squirrels have knocked it over a couple times and the focus seems a bit weird at times. BUT! We are up and running again. So get ready to be reacquainted with some familiar faces and, hopefully, we will get some new ones in the upcoming months.

You remember them. Mourning Doves. The most common visitor to the feeders. They were slow to slow up again but are back in force.



They may be a dime a dozen but I still really like Mourning Doves.



I did keep a couple feeders active over the Summer. One with a baffle and one without. I kept the Titmice and Cardinals happy and they really didn't need too much extra attention. The Titmice quickly switched from the front of the house feeder to the cam side fairly quickly.



Now, they are drifting past and onto all of the feeders. Fine by me.



One problem the cam seems to have now is low light shots. Things are getting too blurry. But I like this one because it shows that the Carolina Wren I banded in the backyard a couple years ago is still around. I knew he had a brood last year so it is nice to see him still hanging out. Guess we are supplying the right environment.



In fact, we put up a windchime at the entrance to our front door. It is a little watering can with the Cardinal points on the bottom. Soon after we set it up, the Wrens took up residence in it! Extra cool.

One Last Tour of the Feeders

Here we go. Getting to the end of all of the sorting through the tons of feeder cam photos. Let's begin!

Every now and then both dove species get along. Then they start whacking each other with their wings.



Quick shots of the Northern Cardinals. Poppa...



...and Momma.



Red-winged Blackbirds are still the rage. Where are those babies? They usually are brought over, too. Hmmmm...



Always fun to see the Red-bellied Woodpeckers stopping by.



Lastly, I leave you with a nice photo of our banded Carolina Wren with one of the kids. Nice.



Going to cut back on the feeders for a while. Plenty of things to do and the squirrels are getting too fat. The birds will find enough food in the garden and yard. Time to find some other birds.

Babies and More

Ah, there they are! The babies are showing up! I knew the Cardinals were close. Finally got a great shot of one of them.



Momma was quick to show up as usual.



Then our young Blue Jay made a visit, too.



The White-winged Doves are still taking the stage.



Of course, the Mourning Doves still make the most appearances.



Noisy Red-winged Blackbird males still rule the side feeders but the sometimes they wander over to the trays.



Put up with me for at least one more post on the BirdCam. Weather is getting hotter. Where is the rain?

"Ready for My Close-up..."

The last couple of days have provided a lot of good close-up shots of some of the neighborhood birds. Case in point, this stunning Blue Jay who shows they eat more than the fruit like they were doing last week. Their main preference are tasty peanuts.



It seems it is taking a little longer for this White-winged Dove to decide on where to begin.



Cardinals are beginning to feed in earnest. I know those babies are out there, somewhere. Here is Poppa.



Momma is not far behind.



The Titmice are usually the first to start calling in the mornings lately. They mainly stay on the side feeders but they still occasionally head out back.



Finally, a White-winged Dove stops by again for a great photo opportunity.



Can't wait to see what is up next!

So Blurry Around Here

Well, we are back to the backyard and the large tray feeder. Let's go through some shots from the week.

"Does this feeder make me look fat?"



Blue Jay time. Often, the squirrels leap off of the tray feeder and send it spinning. Blue Jays are waiting around and sometimes land at just the right moment.



More adults hanging out. Blue seems to be intensifying lately.



Plus, I have been wondering who was eating the fruit bits now that the Catbirds were gone.



Look! Finally, a juvenile bird has graced us with a photo pose. Compare the head feathers and color brightness with the adult above.



A little later a White-winged Dove watches a female Red-winged Blackbird feed.



A couple of days later we get a much better view of a female Red-winged Blackbird.



Ah, another blurry photo. Yet, it is a new bird for the month. A Red-bellied Woodpecker!



Next blurred photo of the week: Our banded Carolina Wren bobbing for bird seed.



Not long afterward, a juvenile Carolina Wren stops in for a look-see. Note the yellow gape still showing at the base of the beak and no white spots on the wings which distinguishes the younger birds from adults.



Finally, a really blurry photo! Had to include it, though, as I can't remember a BirdCam shot of a Brown Thrasher from the past. They live around here and breed around the yard but they do not visit the feeders too much. Proof after all of this time!



All local birds but still fun to see.

Feeder Birds

Man, these birds have been too quiet. I know they are out there by the food going missing and fleeting glimpses of, say, the Catbird but these others should be easy to spot on a daily basis. Guess school is interrupting my mornings. That is where the BirdCam comes in!

With the returning White-winged Doves here it is interesting to see them on the smallest feeder in the area. They used to stay on the larger tray feeder exclusively.



Despite laying low, vocally, it appears that the Indigo Bunting that showed up months ago is still here.



It shows up almost daily on the cam. Stay around a while longer, please.



Another species that seems way too quiet is the American Goldfinch. Nary a peep. But if you look hard enough...?



The following day both of them joined together to feed.



Has to be more out there not chiming in. Time to hit the lakes and surroundings.