31-DEC-2010
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) #5841
Perhaps it is fitting that this will be the last post of the year. We are finishing out 2010 with a decent cover of snow on the ground, and temperatures will fall below zero (F) tonight. These attractive "snowbirds", as they are often called, seem to do quite well in the snowy conditions. This Oregon Junco, probably a male based on the very dark black hood, is foraging on the ground for seed knocked out of the feeder above him.
I will continue to post bird pictures next year, but will not post as often, or else we'll get too big a fill of Sparrows, Juncos, Pine Siskins, Finches, and Doves. Over the course of this year, I have posted well over 70 different species of birds, with several races (for example the various types of Juncos) for some of them. It has been a fun year doing this.
30-DEC-2010
Red-breasted Nuthatch #5784
I have seen Red-breasted Nuthatches a few times this winter. He usually is interested in getting a sip of water from the pond, but with all the snow cover we have today, he was sampling the bird feeder as well.
29-DEC-2010
American Robin #5686
There's a storm moving in, expected this evening. The birds can tell it's coming, because they have been frantic all day, trying to stock up on food and water. Robins only show up when it's dry elsewhere, and today we probably had 20 Robins flocking around. Here's a picture of a couple of them.
28-DEC-2010
White-winged Dove #5671
I could post pictures of White-winged Doves almost any day. These are very numerous birds, not particularly aggressive, but their size intimidates the smaller birds.
27-DEC-2010
American Goldfinch #5603
There was not much variety in our birds today -- Juncos, House Sparrows, and Goldfinches. The greatest activity is in the early morning, when the White-winged Doves swarm over everything in the back yard.
24-DEC-2010
Hairy Woodpecker #5425
We have a Green Ash tree in the back yard, whose bark is a favorite of the few woodpeckers and nuthatches that come around. I see them only rarely, even though they are fairly common birds in this area.
23-DEC-2010
Dark-eyed Junco (Gray-headed) #5327
Our Gray-headed Juncos are not as numerous as Pink-sided or Oregon Juncos are. They tend to feed more or the ground than other Juncos, although I found this one sitting in the pine tree, planning where he is going to fly next.
22-DEC-2010
American Goldfinch #5214
We have a reasonable number of American Goldfinches around -- up to 6 to 10 at a time. We had the most a few days ago when it snowed, and it was hard to find seed in natural habitats, so they flocked to the easy-pickings of our back yard feeder.
20-DEC-2010
House Finch #5165
In the late afternoon sunlight, the red plumage on a male House Finch takes on a very orange look. This fellow is getting a drink at the top of the waterfall. Mostly all the birds we are seeing now are the common winter visitors -- House Finches, American Goldfinches, Juncos, Doves, and Sparrows.
19-DEC-2010
House Sparrow #5149
The snowfall from a couple of days ago is rapidly melting, and there is plenty of water available again for the birds. As a result, we are not seeing as many Robins as we had been seeing before the snowfall. But the House Sparrows are having a great time. There is a flock of about 20 in the trees in the front yard, and when there's fresh seed on the ground in the back, they swarm over to the fence and eat up all the seed they can.
17-DEC-2010
House Finch weathering the storm #4548
We took a short trip to visit family in Texas, so I have missed a few days.
We had our first significant snowfall of the season yesterday, and all the local skiers will be happy. The birds get really nervous when weather moves in, and start feeding like there'll be no tomorrow. This House Finch is patiently waiting his turn at a seed dish.
