Feathered Friends

Now that we are back home, the bird feeders are once again being stocked. This weekend we were welcomed home with a gathering of feathered friends who are fun to watch from the back patio – while  sitting around the chimera enjoying a late afternoon cup of coffee – yes, it’s a “tough” life, but we make the best of it and ENJOY!

At one time 6 or more goldfinches were hanging onto the thistle seed sock. I don’t have a long zoom lens like fellow bloggers Elaine (Artic View) and Mona (Montanagirl) to really capture these backyard visitors. Also, check out Shelley’s  Birding in Michigan  and Frank’s The Early Birder for some amazing shots and wonderful close-ups as well as lots of information.

Even given the limitations of my digital zoom, it’s still wonderful to sit outside and watch and listen to these visitors, especially in late afternoons after working around the yard. As Grenville mentioned in an earlier post, we do have some catching up to do after a month long road trip which was well worth it.

Male and female house finches converged on the feeders with sparrows joining in as well. Next week, we will be heading to the local Tractor Supply to stock up again. It’s amazing how quickly these little birds can go through the feed. They also had help from a blue jay, several mourning doves and a cardinal whose feathers were molting.

The blue jay does not share well and prefers to eat alone after noisily pushing out the other birds.

A pair of mourning doves hung out and watched for awhile. They tend to sit in the middle of the flat feeder and seem oblivious to other birds joining in around them.

Some visitors keep a lookout atop the feeders or in the nearby crepe myrtle trees.



So far, the annoying crackles and starlings have not returned and good riddance – they usually empty the feeders within hours. Perhaps switching to safflower seed is having an effect as most nuisance birds (and squirrels)  dislike its bitter taste and will usually avoid it. It is a bit more costly and we’ve been mixing it with wild bird seed and sunflower seeds (cardinal’s favorite). Of course, we may expect some VERY unwelcome visitors once the weather turns colder and there is less to forage in the fields. But, at least for now we are enjoying their absence.
Speaking of cold weather, check out the SNOW photos posted by fellow blogger Christer at The Cottage by the Crane Lake.