The Witch's Cat: Backyard Birds

24 November 2009

Backyard Birds

The feeder is as popular as ever - especially after it's been refilled! I love standing at the kitchen window watching the birds... Betsy (the cat) likes to chat at them from the front window, while Charlie (the dog) keeps a very close eye on the squirrels from any perch he can get... ;-)

I noticed a lone female Northern Cardinal when I got up Sunday morning (just sitting on the branch), but haven't seen her (or the male) since.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Cardinal

We still get the clan of fat, little House Sparrows who squabble over feeding positions...

Source: http://barrettswanderings.blogspot.com/2009/06/birding-in-chicago.html

...And the Black-Capped Chickadee's are getting braver! I saw four of them taking turns yesterday, coming in to sit on a branch, taking a nibble, and then flying away again. I usually hear them before I see them...

Source: http://animal.discovery.com/guides/wild-birds/a-c/black-capped-chickadee.html

A lone Dark-Eyed Junco was back as well, nibbling on the feed that I put on the ground (since the Sparrows hog the actual feeder - we really need two - or more...)

Source: http://www.pictures-of-birds.info/page/2/

The pair of Blue Jay's came in during the late morning. They chase everyone away, even the Sparrows! But they tend to stay less than a minute or two (and they tend never to linger for the whole feeding session longer than half an hour), so the smaller birds come back during the breaks. One Jay tried to feed from the feeder, but he ended up tumbling upside-down! The pair then decided to feed from the ground as well...

Source: http://mygoodnewsfirst.com/Mission.html

...As did the quartet of Mourning Dove's that came in about mid-afternoon. But then the squirrels decided it was time for them to eat, and they scared the Dove's away!

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mourning_Dove

And then I noticed a new visitor to the feeder...

Source: http://www.wildbirdhabitatstore.com/index.php?_a=viewDoc&docId=49

A Red-Breasted Nuthatch!
At first I thought he was a chickadee, but then I noticed the orange belly and grey wings and smaller head stripes. He's a fast little bugger (much like the chickadee's), and I saw him at one point hanging upside-down from a branch!

Of course, the squirrels came in to get their share as well. The grey's are bolder than the small black's, who will feed along with the sparrow's and the bigger birds (the grey ones just scare everyone away!)

As I was looking for pictures of squirrels, I stumbled across articles as well. I didn't realize that the Eastern Grey Squirrel and the Black Squirrel are the same species - the black ones are just a variation of the Eastern Grey! The black's really do look smaller, but then maybe it's because the grey squirrels seem so much more fluffier...