A Few Yard Birds

Gardening, bird-watching and a bit of photography.....that's about all I'm doing these lovely Spring days.

As of Thursday, my yard was busy with birds:  Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, American Goldfinches, House Finches, Pine Siskins, Harris's Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds and Baltimore Orioles, to list a few.

A male Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) doing a display of dominance or territory or something - I love watching blackbirds, by the way.

And their Icterid cousins, the beautiful Baltimore Orioles (Icterus galbula) 

A female oriole

Another handsome male.

A female Tennessee Warbler (Vermivora peregrina) sipping on the flowering plum.  I'm glad she likes them; the plum flowers have a beautiful scent.

A wonderful male Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus).  There is something very calming about Rose-breasted Grosbeaks.  This fellow pretty much sat in the same tree all one day.  The next day, several more males and a few females arrived and things did get a little more active.  However, they don't bicker and squabble like the blackbirds and orioles.  Each movement is very studied and slow.

An American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) taking a little exception to the arrival of a House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus).  Peace prevailed, with each moving a trifle farther apart.

 
Can't wait to see what will be around tomorrow! 

Yard Birds

This gloomy, cloudy, very windy Tuesday has been considerably brightened-up by the arrival of two male Baltimore Orioles (Icterus galbula).

I've had the oranges out for a few days awaiting their arrival.  It's too bad I didn't get my act together about washing windows - these photos were taken from inside my house through those same dirty windows.  Tsk.

 
As we speak, one is sitting near an orange and issuing a loud single note call while looking around to see if anyone is paying him attention.

The House Finches  (Carpodacus mexicanus) like oranges too.

There's about 20 American Goldfinches (Carduelis tristis)  feeding at the niger sock and sunflower feeders - always a delight.

And the female Purple Finch returned for some seed as well.  I haven't seen her male counterpart.

Several Harris's Sparrows (Zonotrichia querula) are continuing their stay.  They are definitely my favourite sparrow species.

Click on pix for larger and clearer, if you want to.