09-DEC-2010
American Robin takes a bath #4445
Unlike most of our birds, Robins are not interested in the feeders, just the water. This one is sitting on the plants at the surface of the pond, taking a bath. Even while they are busily flapping their wings, they obviously keep their heads absolutely still, or I would not be able to get their eyes sharp.
08-DEC-2010
Dark-eyed Junco (Pink-sided) #4412
I try to count the birds that come by, and report them to the eBird website. Juncos are hard to get a good count for, because they are always moving from one place to another, and I worry I will miss some or count them twice. This Pink-sided Junco held still long enough for a picture.
07-DEC-2010
American Robin #4335
Our Robins continue to visit every day, sometimes in flocks as large as twenty at a time.
05-DEC-2010
Canyon Towhee with broken foot #4297
It's hard to get a picture of a Canyon Towhee that I like. They only show up at feeders, and rarely pause anywhere I find interesting. What was interesting about this particular bird is that he has a damaged foot -- which does not seem to hinder him much, but he hops around using only the good foot, and has a harder than normal time perching at the feeder.
02-DEC-2010
White-breasted Nuthatch #4203
It is a pleasure to see this fellow back -- I have not seen a White-breasted Nuthatch since last February. Later in the afternoon, there were two of them working the bark of our Ash tree, looking for some morsels.
01-DEC-2010
American Robin #4175
Robins are now regular visitors in the back yard. They come in the early morning, and then come back again several times throughout the day, always interested in getting something to drink.
27-NOV-2010
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) #4057
Lately, our birds are almost all Juncos, American Goldfinches, and House Finches. This Junco is exploring near the pond waterfall, and the afternoon light shows how the iris of his eye has a red color to it when the light hits just right.
26-NOV-2010
House Finch,
Looking for a Afternoon Snack #3990
On clear days, such as today, the lighting is almost always pretty harsh. It gets better late in the day, which is when I found this late afternoon visitor looking for a bedtime snack.
25-NOV-2010
American Robin #3956
I guess the Robins are getting thirsty. I have seen them around occasionally, but they have not been making many visits to the pond, except in the last week or so. We have had little rain or snow, and so they must be looking for more reliable sources of water.
23-NOV-2010
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) #3941
The most interesting birds come around in the early morning, when it is still not light enough to take good pictures (and it is very cold). My main camera is on vacation, back at the factory getting a regular tuneup, so I am using the backup camera, and it does not do as well in dim light.
The Juncos are around all day long, especially if I put out a bit of fresh seed. This is another of the light gray-headed Oregon Juncos, not enough cinnamon-color on the flanks to qualify as a Pink-sided Junco for me.
22-NOV-2010
Ruby-crowned Kinglet #3509
I skipped posting yesterday -- only more pictures of Juncos.
Here is a bird that we do not see very often (and one I have not posted this year). The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is a very active small bird who is always flicking his wings and hopping/flying from one branch to the next. I saw one of these birds a couple of days ago, and today this one came back while I was ready with the camera. He has the basic coloring of an American Goldfinch in winter plumage, except for the distinctive eye ring and smaller size. This one is very drab, and is probably a female. The one I saw a few days ago was much yellower overall.