Bird Convention

Regular readers of this blog may tire of my frequent posting of images from our bird feeders, but it is hard for us to tire of the activity there, especially this time of year. During the past ten days, we have enjoyed growth in both the number and variety of birds visiting us. Maybe some of this is due to migration, or maybe it is due to the birds simply finding our feeders. In any event, it has been fun. I have lost track of the total number of species we have seen. Not pictured here, but seen at the feeders, have been: grackles, nuthatches, chickadees, hairy woodpeckers, white-throated sparrows, and goldfinches. There are probably others that I've overlooked. Then, on the water, we have seen loons, wood ducks, mallards, and others. Kathie and I can't resist taking the following pictures nor sharing them with you. You probably know that you can click on these pictures to see a larger image. Then use your "Back" button to come back to this page.

We start with a rose-breasted grosbeak. In Iowa, we feel lucky to see these once or twice during the spring. Here, they are around daily.


Never on the feeder itself, this robin (the same one nesting below our deck) does spend time on the ground just below the feeder.


Next is a purple finch. These birds and their mates spend lots of time directly on the feeders, unless chased away by more aggressive birds.


Lots of blue jays have been around. I have seen as many eight at one time on the ground beneath the feeders. They also visit the feeder itself, tending to take a seed or two away to a branch, where it can be picked apart and eaten.


Below is an evening grosbeak and its mate. They are not as brightly colored as they will be later in the season. We love these yellow and black birds, as well as the many goldfinches we see.


Finally (at least for this time around), here is a baltimore oriole. We don't have any oranges out for them, but they seem to be attracted by the activity of the other birds, and maybe they are eating some of the seeds too.