This morning, we woke up to some pretty cool temperatures in the U.P. and rain. But by about 11 a.m. the sun came out and we had several different bird species visit our feeders within an hour!
We had European Starlings, cowbirds, and then this little guy showed up:
Next, we had this Red-Winged Blackbird visit us:
And then 4 BlueJays came visiting:
All day long, we have had the continuing Chipping Sparrows, too:
And, finally, the Rose Breasted Grosbeaks came calling!:
Aren't they adorable?
All these birds showed up before noon!!
Hopefully, none of them will hit my windows today! It has hit a high of a ripe 46 degrees now early this afternoon...I was hoping we would hit at least 50 degrees today! My poor gardens would like some warmth. But at least I got to see the beautiful colors of my birds. How is your day going?
Again, great photos!!!
ReplyDeleteI like the black bird. He just looks like if he could talk, the stories he could tell.
We also had rain then shine. It is supposed to hit 90 today
Critter and I are home and headed for an early dinner at Olive Garden.
Have a Super Day!!!
Scrappy
46 degrees! Oh my goodness you do need some warmth for your gardens. Your photos are spectacular, dropped by from Shellmo's.
ReplyDeleteAwesome!
ReplyDeleteOur little chipmunk just showed up today (though the kids say he was there yesterday) we have had the sparrows, a cardinal and squirrels today; the other inhabitants (mallards and other birds) have been absent today, probably because of the rain.
I.covet.your.camera.
wow, it's nice to see these birds.
ReplyDeleteIt's hot in AZ.
Beautiful photos. I especially love the downy woodpecker photo. I have a hard time deciding which is my favorite bird. Probably the cardinal-we have so many around our place.
ReplyDeleteScrappy: Ninety degrees? I would faint from the difference in our temps. to yours! Hope you have a nice (air conditioned!) dinner!
ReplyDeleteDarla: Welcome! Please make sure you click on "follow this blog" at the top right of my blog..would love to have you regularly stop by!
Insanity: I have only seen one cardinal here and he was up in a tree right next to a bluejay in the snow! It was gorgeous (red, white and blue) and by the time I ran for the camera, he was gone! :-(
Sweet Girl: I can't remember if you have visited my blog before or not...welcome! Are you a Follower? I bet Arizona is hot...we are tired of this cold spring and awaiting warmth here.
Rae: Thanks. I love that little woodpecker, too. He stops by a lot during the day. I like so many of the birds...and before I retired I didn't even notice them. But now my husband and I are really into bird watching and me into photography of them. It is such fun to catch them on camera!
Great pics, as always! It's 77 degrees in the house...and I'm chilled. I would never survive in the U.P. lol!
ReplyDeleteOnce again, fantastic photos! Good looking birds too!
ReplyDeleteWe had a thrasher baby bird try to fly out of his nest yesterday only to bounce (very lightly) off a nearby window. I tried putting him back in the tree, as high as I could reach, but the little devil wouldn't stay there and mom and pop were having dive bombing fits overhead. I finally found him a safe place under a large bush and left them all to figure it out for themselves!
That's a lot of grub you gave out!! No wonder they love you!!
ReplyDeleteI think the bird in the last picture is saying, 'Hey, who d'ya think ya staring at? Never cut yourself shaving, huh, huh?'
ReplyDeleteHi Joan,
ReplyDeleteWhat? No leaves yet? Golly, let's lodge a complaint with Mother Nature! Those cute birdies need some foliage!
I'm bored, so I'm making my husband cook dinner so that I can "work" (i.e. surf the internet).
Excellent bird photos! The woodpecker ones were outstanding! Loved all those captures of the different expressions on the grosbeak's face. You are a talented photographer!
ReplyDeleteDon't you just love the noisy Blue Jays. They are so loud and just jabber and jabber. I liked your Grosbeaks and I have never seen any of those. I always feel
ReplyDelete"up close and personal" with your birds because your pics are so neat.
I love the downy woodpecker. They are special to me, because they are the first birds other than robins that I've been able to get any halfway good pictures of. I like the bluejay too, even though bluejays have been driving me crazy, because I can't get a decent shot of them.
ReplyDeleteYou must have felt so good waking up with all the birds around.
ReplyDeleteHi R.O.: We are more alike than you might think. I retired in March 2008 and started a blog, and I also feed the birds. However, I don't have a camera that will take such pictures, it's just a point and shoot and doesn't do well on closeups.
ReplyDeleteThis is my first visit, but I have indeed signed on as a follower. I have also followed a few of YOUR bloglist but time is, well, limited...
I don't know how you ever managed such close up shots of the blue jays and the rose breasted grosbeak. There's no way I've ever come close to getting shots like that. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteSharon
I am so jealous, my favorite are the blue jays and hopefully they too will visit me. I awoke to snow again this morning but I know in my heart this won't last forever! As usual I am in awe of your lovely photos......:-) Bernie
ReplyDeletethose birds are so cute!!
ReplyDeleteit was actually in the 70's down in the lower penn. finally!!
xo
I have never seen so many gorgeous birds. It's amazing what vibrant colours some of them have.
ReplyDeleteYou finally got your grosbeak!!! Good shots! Looks like he was watching you too!
ReplyDeleteWe're up to 3 male hummers and one female so far...poor little girl.
I finally have had time to come over and read your blog. I love looking at your pictures you are a wonderful photographer. I have been so busy lately just haven't had time to read but having major withdrawal symptoms so I made sure to come for a visit today, but as usual ended up spending hours reading different posts. have a great weekend Bev
ReplyDeleteWonderful birds! Lovely photos. I prefer the 75 degrees we have here right now to your weather, but wish we had those birds (and with 2 cats, we never will).
ReplyDeleteYou did get some great pictures and what a nice colorful variety. Great shots!
ReplyDeleteGreat bird photos! We don't have any Rose breasted Grosbeaks yet, just the Pine Grosbeaks..they are pretty also! We have 60 degrees , but the wind is howling like a banshee..so the wind chill must be about 20 degrees..and it looks like rain. I have never seen a spring so full of wind. :(
ReplyDeleteI posted replies once already but will repeat some as they did not show up!
ReplyDeleteJJ: 77 degrees here would be considered too hot for some of the Yoopers (not me! I love it around 82).
Gaston: Remember that if they looked dazed, you hafta hold them and stimulate them every couple minutes (pet them) until they blink and look more alert or start squirming..then they can fly away or do okay on their own. The important part is to keep them upright and to stimulate them. He sounded pretty alert though, and I bet they are doing just fine.
Roshni: You are right, I could feed a small village on what we spend on bird seed. ha We stopped buying Thistle because the Pine Siskins were eating it up like crazy. But they are a major source of entertainment for us and we love that!
Fran: Too funny. His red bib does look like he spilled cherry koolaide or blood on his bib!
Lynn: We finally got 60's today, and I can see the leaves starting to slowly pop out (and the bugs!!!) But they said the "S" word (snow) possible for Saturday night. Good Lord!!
Shellmo: The grosbeaks did look like they had expressions on their faces, didn't they? They are SO cute! That is such a compliment from one of the Queen of photos (you!)
Grannyann: thanks! I love the bluejays too...those and the chickadees are the only brave ones to visit us in the dead of winter! ha
Sometimes I don't notice the birds faces until I look at the pictures when I download them, and it surprises me. The detail of all of their colors shows up then, too...and they amaze me.
Ratty: They can be jumpy about being seen. We sure can hear them long before we see them! They squawk whenever they come to our feeder to tell the others we put food out.
Rainfield: Yes. I have a morning routine. First I check who is out at the feeders and sometimes I have to grab my camera when I am still blurry-eyed from waking up (no wonder that sometimes I don't get them clearly!) and then I turn on the coffee pot. ha It is fun not knowing what I will see every morning! But they come to the feeder all day long, so whenever I am home I check several times a day to see who is at the feeders.
DJan: If you are retired, how come your time is limited?
We sure do sound like we have a lot in common!
You should spoil yourself and get a camera that you like. I have found such enjoyment out of this new "hobby" and I have fallen in love with birds...which I hardly paid attention to before I retired and before I photographed them. Now I see the details in their many colors and their facial expressions...they are just really interesting!
Thanks for becoming a Follower!
New England: I am lucky that they come to my feeder right outside my dining room. My photos are taken thru my windows. I think they would be a tad clearer if I didn't have to shoot thru the window, but otherwise I couldn't get so close to them. I have to move really slow even then, or they see me and fly away.
Bernie: Thanks! You will soon have birds at your feeders and fall in love with them, like I have! Our bluejays are noisy and screech when they first come to the feeders. I swear it is to tell their buddies we put food out, because before you know it, the rest come too!
Melissa: 70's? You are so lucky. We got one day in the 60's (today) and this weekend is supposed to get cold again (and possibly even SNOW!) yikes!
They said next week will be in the 60's again. I hope so!
Loree: I know. They are gorgeous! I never knew how pretty they were until I photographed them and saw them that way. Many of the brown and black birds actually have several other colors in their feathers. They are amazing.
Cathy: Yes! I was so happy when they flew into the feeders. I am glad your hummers didn't get hurt with the recent cold snap. Once the flowers start blooming, you will see plenty of them, for sure!
Bev: I am so glad you could come over to my blog. I have recently started posting more pictures and less dialog just because I am addicted to it. ha I see so many pretty birds and scenery here, I have to share it. I can always write more when I run out of pictures (probably in the winter more).
Sharon: Your weather sounds heavenly! We are trying to be patient here for our warmth to come. A few of my tulips are finally blooming and my daffodils too. The leaves are just starting to pop up.
Gardener: Thanks so much. I love watching them and capturing them on film.
Far Side: Thanks. It has been windy here too! We had a lovely day today--sunny and in the high 60's, but this weekend it is supposed to get cold enough to possibly SNOW! (Yikes!) My tulips and daffodils are up, so I am worried.
Gosh, you really do have such a wide variety of colorful birds around there. That's amazing. We just seem to have the drab colors of browns and greys .... blech! Sometimes if I'm lucky, I'll spot a colored one but I'll not know the name of it, I really suck at bird identification... I'll just say, "that red one" or "that black one with the yellow on it"... meh, it works for me.. =)
ReplyDeleteMichele: Sometimes when you look close at the brown and grey birds, they have lots of other colors in them. I didn't see that until I started taking pictures of them up close. They are all amazing when you get an "up close and personal" look at them.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutly adorable! I think I'm going to get our bird feeder up again. I love having the birds come visit.
ReplyDeleteMary: I love watching all the different kinds of birds that show up! Sometimes we have 6 or 7 different kinds of birds at the feeder at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI luv all the pictures. I just found your blog and have enjoyed looking at your pictures and reading your posts. One of my favorite past times is bird watching and feeding them.
ReplyDeleteYou probably have this posted somewhere but I haven't got that far, what kind of camera are you using?
Carole: Thank you so much for commenting and reading my blog...if you haven't already, please go back on the blog and add yourself as an official "follower". Also, I have lots of other posts on the blog of pictures of other birds. I love taking shots of birds, flowers and nature, so there will be more coming! I am using a Panasonic Lumix, 18X zoom and 10 megapixels...it is a point and shoot but also has manual features which you can set...I am taking an upcoming class this coming Saturday which I hope to learn more about the manual settings...but I love this camera. I just got it this Christmas. I will stop by your blog today too...sounds like it is about birds, which I will love reading!!
ReplyDelete