Little Miss Hummer

I have been desperately trying to get a video of the little hummer that visits my feeder here at my kitchen window. She is so skittish so it's been a challenge to get even a picture of her. I wish I would have had my camera handy a few days ago as she & another female were hovering around fanning their feathers at each other in a fierce competition to dominate the feeder here. It was most interesting & neither one of them seemed to notice me gawking at them as they performed their little dances.

I have enjoyed the hummingbirds tremendously this year. I've seen more females than males & usually it's the other way around. Not sure what that means! But at any rate, they are a pleasure to observe.

Birds - August 2008

These are the birds I've seen at my feeders this month. We've been on vacation for much of the month so I was not able to watch as closely as in previous months. But these are the birds I noted when we were at home.

*Downy Woodpecker (m & f) - peanut feeder, tray feeder

*Red-Bellied Woodpecker (m & f) - peanut feeder, tray feeder

*Eastern Bluebird (m & f) - I only saw one pair once this month. I thought maybe they had returned for the winter but have not seen anymore since.

*House Finch (m & f) - tray feeder, tube feeder

*Carolina Wren (m & f) - Tray Feeder

*Northern Cardinal (m & f) - tray feeder, peanut feeder

*Mourning Dove - tray feeder

*Brown-Headed Nuthatch (m & f) - peanut feeder, tray feeder

*Carolina Chickadee - peanut feeder, tray feeder, tube feeder, finch feeder

*White-Breasted Nuthatch - peanut feeder, tray feeder

*Tufted Titmouse - peanut feeder, tray feeder, tube feeder

*American Robin - in the yard

*Ruby-Throated Hummingbird - hummer feeders

My mom gave me this wool ball from her bird pole when she & my dad moved to Kenya. There hasn't been much activity on the ball, but today, I got my first taker! Again, sorry about the poor picture quality.

They're Back!!!

Every summer my blue birds disappear. I haven't quite figured out why, but it's disappointing none the less. However, it makes their return so exciting! And today, I saw my first blue bird return! Here's a picture of him - his mate was with him, but flew off as I was grabbing the camera. Sorry the pics aren't the greatest. I was afraid to get too close in fear of scaring him off.

Mr. Squirrel

This little squirrel here spent about 10 minutes in our yard gathering up grass I'm assuming for his little nest. He would bend down, scratch up a few blades, then pop back up & preen the little bundle he had now collected in his mouth. He seemed satisfied with this amount & scurried up into the neighboring tree. It was really cute to watch how carefully he placed the blades of grass in his mouth!

Flowers in Bloom

Since I can't manage to get any of the birds to sit still long enough for me to get a halfway decent picture, I thought I'd post pics of some of the flowers I have blooming around my deck. I love sitting among some of God's finest creation & having such beautiful things to look at!

Bird List - June 2008

This month has finally realized the hotter, more blistering temperatures usually known around the Atlanta area. The temperatures have averaged out in the 80's during the day & in the upper 60's at night. We've had hardly any rain so everything has been very dry. The birdbath I've owned for a year now is finally getting put to use. I guess the birds are "desperate" enough now to take baths in it!

All the baby birdies are starting to grow up as I've witnessed on an occasion or two a Red Bellied Woodpecker teaching it's offspring where the feeders are. We had a nest with baby Titmice in it, but they've finally "flown the coop" as it were.

Here's the June 2008 list of my backyard birds:

* Eastern Towhee - The male & his mate don't visit my feeders, but they do like to scratch around on the ground underneath the feeders. They nest in my holly bushes in the side yard.

* European Starling - These visit my feeders quite regularly, mostly for the peanuts.

* Downy Woodpecker - Both male & female frequent the peanut feeder (their favorite).

* Red Bellied Woodpecker - Male & Female visit occasionally, maybe once or twice a day. I don't see them as frequently at the feeders in the summer as I do in the winter. They seem to prefer the bugs in the trees. They too prefer the peanut feeder.

* Blue Jay - I see these guys every once in a while. They love the peanuts either from the peanut feeder or from my tray feeder.

* Carolina Wren - This little guy (or gal) isn't really too picky of an eater. They will come get peanuts or seed.

* Northern Cardinal - This is my favorite backyard bird. I love hearing their chirps & calls to each other. And it's been interesting to watch one of the males (I say "one" because we have many couples around the yard) feed his mate. She waits patiently at the top of my bird pole while he fishes through the bird seed to find the perfect sunflower seed for her. Then he promptly shells it & delivers it to her. They prefer the seed I keep in the tray feeder.

* Wood Thrush - I have seen one or two this month. Not sure if they are male & female. Since they are larger birds, they like the accessibility of the tray feeder.

* Mourning Dove - This is one of my least favorite birds. I have to admit that most of the time I end up shooing them off of my feeders simply because they spill perfectly good bird seed on the ground in search of the perfect piece of millet. When I don't catch them, they like to perch on the tray feeder. They do provide a bit of comic relief, however, as it takes them about 5 minutes to plot how they are going to get their fat bodies onto such a small tray!

* Brown Headed Nuthatch - These little guys are pretty quiet, but they love the peanuts! They visit frequently.

* Carolina Chickadee - My mother lovingly refers to these little guys as "computer guys". So their little chirps are enjoyed the whole day through. They visit frequently as well. And it's interesting to watch their interaction with each other. They will eat peanuts or the seed in my tray feeder.

* White Breasted Nuthatch - These guys like the peanuts.

* Tufted Titmouse - These will eat from the tube feeder, tray feeder, or peanut feeder. But peanuts seem to be their favorite.

* American Robin - These don't visit my feeders, but their calls are interesting & they are good entertainment.

* Ruby - Throated Hummingbird - After feeding the female for a month now, I have finally gotten some males to come around! These year their green backs seem to be especially dark.

* House Finch - The male & female both visit the tube feeder filled with seed as well as the tray feeder filled with seed.

* American Goldfinch - Not as many of these now as there were earlier this spring. Must have made their migration a little further north. They love visiting the finch feeder with the bright neon colors, which is filled with nyger seed.