Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Winters Vistors

We've been enjoying some very busy activity at our bird feeder this year.  Dan has to refill the feeder every couple of days or so. It's always got somebody getting a snack.  The boys also threw some corn down, as well as the decorative corn...the squirrels have been going CRAZY over that!


I've always loved watching birds. But I never really thought enough to learn what they actually were until recently. Before now I identified by "that cute little bird with the red head" or "the one that cracks his seeds open on the tree", but now I've been researching.

I blame my friend Melanie.. ;-)

www.whatbird.com has been VERY useful to me!

I  learned I have a pair of Nuthatches. I believe they are White-breasted Nuthatches, but am not really good at positively identifying yet. I thought I only had one, but there is a pair as they were dining together just the other day.

And this guy...oh how I love him. He brings a smile to me every time I see him. My grandmother LOVED cardinals and always made sure to point them out to me when I was little. (I NEED a better zoom.! NEED!)




And he brought his wife too!!


I see her more than I see him.  There is a particular bush I always see them at. Perhaps there will be little ones there in the spring?


Everybody is pretty round and well fed!

Make sure you keep YOUR feeders full! You will never know who might stop by for a snack!

5 comments:

Melanie said...

BLAME??? OK!! It's a great hobby. .don't ya think?? I "think" I saw a little fat nuthatch on the barbed wire fence across from my house the other day on my way home. .I've been watchin'! LOVE the cardinal. .the ONE bird that I long to see so much!! Several winters I have seen a female in my waterfall. .but never her hubby! That's the cool thing though. .there are generally a pair of anything you will find!! Grant spotted a red bellied woodpecker in my front elm tree last weekend. .WOO HOO!! Enjoy your new hobby!!

Sara said...

Well this sure explains what I heard from CJ last week!! I asked her what she wanted for Christmas and she said, "a bird feeder." Seemed random to me at the time, but makes perfect sense now!!

Rhonda said...

OK, OK, we're going to have to get our feeder back out! :) Love the cardinals, too. I remember seeing a pair at the apartment once. The male hopped around on the ground and picked up a seed, then hopped over to his mate and put it in her beak. Awwww! I never forgot that.

Rhonda said...

I've heard a cardinal around here lately, but haven't seen him. So maybe if we put the feeder out, we'll get a glimpse of him!

ragtime4361 said...

There are cardinals that winter in our neighborhood. And up at the laundry as well. Just love the song they sing, & the male is so pretty! My mother instilled bird-observing in me a lot of years ago, & I love watching their antics! Enjoy