Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Watching the show

All of these pictures were taken from my desk, looking out at the front porch. These sparrows are taking a bath, and if birds can have expressions, these birds are, well, happy. I can't say I appreciate these guys as much as some of my other birds, because they tend to crowd out the more well-behaved ones and hog all the sunflower seeds. House sparrows were introduced in this country during the 1850s to control insect pests. From my bird book:
Not a true sparrow, but a weaver-finch from Eurasia and northern Africa, the House Sparrow immediately began to exploit human-modified habitats after being introduced into the US. This bird has a knack for colonizing far-flung settled areas and usurping territory from native species. Many people have seen this bird cleaning up discarded scraps around fast-food restaurants.
I stopped putting out seed that was scarfed up immediately by the House Sparrows, but I sure don't want to stop supplying black-oil sunflower seed, because the delightful chickadees and nuthatches like them also.
This is a black-capped chickadee, I think. I thought with all this color it must be a chestnut-backed chickadee, but my bird book doesn't show either one exactly. He's really friendly, though, and I think if I were to sit quietly for long enough with my hand filled with seeds, he would eventually come over and take one.
You can see the nuthatch has a much shorter tail and a little longer beak. This one has a seed in his beak making it look longer than it is. I took this picture this morning, and you can see that the sunflower seeds are pretty much gone from the feeder, thanks to the unrelenting sparrow hordes. I have now put out a small amount twice daily, and when it's gone, I would love to say it's gone, but frankly, I'm such a softie I end up putting out more. But much more parsimoniously than before!
Most of the food I provide is for these goldfinches. The male is much more brightly colored, and an occasional pine siskin shows up, as well as other finches. I have two nyjer thistle socks (like this one) and an upside-down feeder that has both small chips of sunflowers mixed with the nyjer. The sparrows can't use it, though, as they cannot hang upside down like the finches, chickadees, and nuthatches.
We also have some downy woodpeckers who come to the suet feeder. I believe this is a new one, he seems smaller than the others I've seen, but he spent quite a bit of time today chomping down the suet, as well as rat-a-tatting this tree. It's amazing to think of how it must feel to bore a hole in a tree with your head!

The other birds I see often on my porch are the spotted towhee (he's there right now), the beautiful Northern Flicker, who also loves the suet feeder, and this little guy, who I think is a juvenile grosbeak, but I can't be sure. His coloring doesn't look like the pictures, but look at that beak, what else can it be?
Anyway, I am enjoying the show, and this hobby of mine has grown beyond anything I thought it would be in the beginning. I haven't seen my hummingbird around since the flowers that attracted him have finished blooming. I put up the hummingbird feeder, but I keep changing the elixer without having had a visitor. And of course, my old friend the squirrels have kept me on my toes. What a well-visited front porch I have!
:-)

23 comments:

  1. Isn't it such a treat to watch them chow down? I see you've got a lot of young ones around, as we do. Their little fluffy faces are so endearing. Thanks for feeding the winged critters.. including those always-hungry and just as needy sparrows. They're messy eaters though, aren't they? :)

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  2. Awww what a sweet picture of the Sparrows taking a bath, they were having a whale of a time it looks like !
    Such great shots, I truly enjoyed seeing all the visitors to your porch, those Goldfinches are gorgeous.

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  3. I love feeding the birds too, DJann, they're fun to watch. We buy the black-oil sunflower seeds by the 40lb. bag...we're hooked!

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  4. I can't believe you got such great shots through a glass window and screen. My brown birds are not as nearly interesting as yours are.

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  5. Your birdie pics are really good. Amazing that they seem to pose for the camera. I had to stop feeding the birds because of my bird dog (English setters are notorious for catching birds) So I'm glad to see your flock. I still keep my birdbath filled with water though. Love how those cuties enjoy splashing about!

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  6. Super photos. Would love to have a bird bath in the yard...but, hmmm, Maggie would decrease the bird population.

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  7. Made me smile immediately. It just looks like they're having fun and you can't help but smile along! And you KNOW I loved "parsimoniously!" LOL! We talked about you today - the kids and I. Both said they want to go sky diving sometime and I told them they can train here but when it's time to jump, they can't leave a plane with anyone but you so we'll have to drive to Bellingham. They were good with that. :)

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  8. Isn't is a nice feeling to see birds and other animals happy? I sometimes watch my pets play and even give captions to what they're doing LOL, I feel silly sometimes...looks like you had a nice day DJ!

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  9. how cool...you have quite the colorful and varied friends there...an how can you resist. smile at the bath time...fun to watch. hope you are well and having a great day!

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  10. These photos are absolutely wonderful...! I love the birds in the bird bath. The little fellow on the right reminds me of Woodstock in the Peanuts cartoon.

    My daughter has bird feeders like that, and lots of little birds to visit them, and the occasional squirrel who hangs around waiting for the birds to drop the bird seed. They do "clean up" duty. :-)

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  11. The pictures are great to see and the birds are interesting to watch. I've fed a lot of birds over the years and yellow finches are a favorite. I feed mostly hummingbirds now with the feeder hanging in front of my office window. Hubby spiraled a piece of copper around the shepherd's hook with an extension for them to perch. Now I can see them when the wings are at rest. Aren't birds fascinating!

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  12. Fabulous pictures. Goldfinches are my favorites to watch, so pretty.
    Sandy

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  13. This is a wonderful overview of your fine feathered friends. I can imagination they are very happy living in your surroundings.

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  14. Lovely birdie pictures and of course, like I said once before, the sparrows didn't ask to go to north america - they were put there, to eat the pests on your grain crops. They obviously did a great job of that and became so prolific that now they are unwelcome visitors. Would you like them more if they were brightly coloured? Perhaps they would have less chance of survival if they were. I always think that the gorgeous red cardinal is very vulnerable with his coat so bright and startling and yet he survives just fine too, doesn't he.
    Like you, I love the birds, whatever their colours or habits. I don't have nearly as many pretty birds to look at here but what I do have, I enjoy. Never tire of it, do we.
    I have yet to see a humming bird in America. Larry assures me they do come, but never yet while I've been there.
    Blessings, Star

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  15. Loved watching your birds. Makes me want to run out and buy feeders but I have no place to hang one that I can watch from in the house. I suppose I'll just have to watch them through your camera.

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  16. you have the best view from your porch! I've always loved when you post pics of your feeders. Sorry I've been MIA the last few months, but you know I have a good excuse :) glad to be back perusing your blog! -Kate

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  17. My goodness, you have a very busy porch. Those are some great shots of the little birds, I love to see the goldfinches hanging upside down.

    Are you still battling the squirrels with the water gun? Stubborn little creatures aren't they.

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  18. I really enjoyed seeing your pretty birds!

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  19. Great birding shots! You really get a wonderful variety at your feeders. We had to stop feeding for now because starlings found us and cleaned us out in a day. We'll start up again after we hope they've forgotten us.

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  20. Wonderful little birds..thanks for sharing your visitors:)

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  21. What a delightful post! I enjoyed bird watching with you! Thanks! And congrats on your POTW award.
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  22. My goodness! you attract so many different birds! I thought we got a lot. They are wonderful entertainment, aren't they! Congrats on POTW!!

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  23. the chickadee is so pretty
    they're all wonderful!!
    congrats on POTW

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