16-FEB-2010
Sandhill Cranes, Heading North #2994
In the last two days, we have seen waves of Sandhill Cranes flying north. A large population of these beautiful birds overwinters at the
Bosque del Apache south of Albuquerque, NM. I am not a good judge of heights, but I am guessing they are flying about 500 feet overhead here.
13-FEB-2010
Red-Shafted Northern Flicker #2303
It's the second day of the "
Great Backyard Bird Count," and although we had many of our usual visitors today, the best photo opportunity was provided by one of the regulars -- a Red-Shafted Northern Flicker crawling up the pear tree.
Other birds visiting today were Collared Doves, White-Winged Doves, Mr. and Mrs. Flicker, Bushtits, a Townsend's Solitaire (who did not hang around long enough to get his picture taken), some Robins, Juncos, Cassin's Finches, House Finches, Pine Siskins, American Goldfinches, and House Sparrows.
07-FEB-2010
Northern Mockingbird #1377
We took a week off and visited family in Texas, so no opportunity
to look for birds on a regular schedule. This common southern bird
was relatively unconcerned about visitors.
03-FEB-2010
House Sparrow #1121
Our House Sparrows are quite common, but it's hard for me to get many decent pictures of them, because the don't stay anywhere for very long. They flock in bushes, chatter all day long, and make short forays to the feeders or the pond. I saw this one early in the morning, before we had another snowfall (6-7 inches).
02-FEB-2010
Bushtit #0882
Bushtits are really very small birds, gray all over. The flock onto the suet feeder, where I have seen as many as 16 at a time. They feed right-side-up, or hanging upside down like a nuthatch or a chickadee. They travel in flocks, and the only reason this one was by himself is that the feeder was too crowded for him to fit, so he is waiting... Males have black eyes, and females have a yellow iris, so I think this one is male.
01-FEB-2010
American Goldfinch, Eating Algae #0763
The typical American Goldfinch diet consists primarily of seeds, with occasional insects taken opportunistically. If you have a pond, and if you have birds, then you also have algae. The Goldfinches usually just visit the pond to take a drink, but today I was very surprised to see this Goldfinch stripping algae growing on the rocks near the waterfall, and eating it!
31-JAN-2010
Bewick's Wren #0656
The only time I ever see this wren is when he visits the suet feeder. He's not a very striking bird, and is distinguished by the white stripe near his eyes and the checkered tail. This little wren is always moving about, and hacks away at the suet with enthusiasm.
30-JAN-2010
Female Cassin's Finch #0491
Saturday morning came with freezing fog, and there were almost no birds visiting in the early morning. Later in the afternoon, the sun came out, and this female Cassin's Finch decided it was warm enough for a bath. When she was all done, here's what we had (click on the thumbnail image below for larger version):
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