Working from home has afforded me the opportunity to get into birding and bird photography. Below are a few of my faves. All photos were taken between October 2020 to March 2021. So far I've been able to identify 4 different woodpeckers in my yard.
Red Bellied Woodpecker I've seen them in my yard since setting up my tri-pod Downey Woodpecker Another bird that I have seen at the feeders since setting up my tri-pod in October. Fun fact. The Downey woodpecker is the same size of the titmouse. They are not a big bird at all. I'll see them chomping on the suet and snacking at the feeders Tufted Titmouse Of all the birds that hangout in the yard. The Tufted Titmouse has the best personality. Much like hummingbirds, the titmouse is pretty sassy and has zero problem chasing off any other birds. I have caught them on several occasions munching at the birdfeeder with other birds We've seen them perching on the front porch. I'm convinced they like to torment the cats. The titmouse has been seen so far every day since I set up my tri-pod in October. Brown Thrasher The Brown Thrasher happens to be the state bird of Georgia I saw him in our yard in January 2021. He may have been around longer, however this is the only time I saw him at our feeders Northern Cardinal Male and female cardinals have been present in our yard since setting up my tri-pod Also, I don't know if it's just me eyes, but it seems like the further we get into winter the brighter the feathers of the male cardinal get. Blue Jay If you hear any squawking going on in your yard, more than likely it's blue jays. So I just recently found out that blue jays aren't really blue. In fact there aren't any "real" blue birds. There's some fancy scientific explanation or something like that. I'm dubious.. I mean, Just look at him! He looks pretty blue to me I've seen them in my yard since setting up my tri-pod White Breasted Nuthatch So, I didn't realize I've seen the nuthatch in my yard since setting up my tri-pod in October until I discovered Merlin and was able to upload a photo of one. Anywho.. These little fellas are quite the acrobats as you can see by the photos below Mourning Dove More often than not, you'll find the mourning dove on the ground picking up whatever is thrown out of the feeders. So I was pretty excited to capture one perching in a tree. If you listen closely you can hear their sad (mournful) cooing. Very distinct. The mourning doves have been visiting us since I set up my tri-pod. Carolina Chickadee The Carolina Chickadee is competing with the Tufted Titmouse at who cab be the sassiest. Where the titmouse will fly away if I walk near the birdfeeders the chickadee with chirp at me s if to give me instructions on how to properly fill them, I've seen the chickadees all through fall and winter and are still giving me grief into spring Dark Eyed Junco This little fella is not always that easy to see because he's pretty little and oddly blends in to the scenery. His main diet is everything that the other birds throw out of the feeders. I've never seen him anywhere other than on the ground. He's been around all through fall and winter and now into spring American Goldfinch So a fun fact about the American Goldfinch that we learned when trying to identify them. Like all birds they molt their feathers, however, the colors of their feathers change throughout the year. The American Goldfinches we saw in fall and winter were identified as Non-breeding male American Goldfinches. Not necessarily because they are too young, but because it's the "off" season for them. As winter has turned into spring you can see how their feathers become the golden color most are familiar with. Chipping Sparrow I'm not too sure how long the chipping sparrow has been hanging around because I may have thought they were a Carolina wren. You can recognize the sparrow by his fancy red mohawk. It really is one of it's most identifying features. As winter has turned into spring. I've been seeing more and more of them at the feeders This photo was taken mid winter Black Vulture So.. We have a large group of vultures that tend to hang out in the neighborhood. A little freaky. But hey. No dead animals laying around Carolina Wren To be honest. I didn't realize the Carolina Wren and Chipping Sparrow were two different birds. I mean.. Just look at how much they resemble the other. This is where the birding apps really help. A couple of differences between the two birds. The markings on their head. The chipping sparrow looks like he has a red mohawk I'm pretty sure I've never seen the Carolina Wren at the feeder. They pick up all the birdseed on the ground I've seen this little fella around all fall and winter Red Shouldered Hawk A rare sighting for us. And by sighting I mean, catching one just sitting around. Typically around our house you can see them in flight and almost always hear them screeching around the neighborhood. Between them and the vultures we really don't find any dead animals around. They are around all year long What a lot of people don't realize is, you can attract birds to your feeders all year long Here's what I currently have set up in my front yard: I have about 6 birdfeeders (this does not include the 2 hummingbird feeders that I will put out at the end of March)
I mentioned when the birds were seen in my yard to give you an idea of what time(s) of year you will find them in your own yard. Photography equipment used
Most of the photos were taken in the morning. The birdfeeders are typically hopping before noon. So it looks like I have fall and winter covered. I may have to do another post for spring and summer. Just as an FYI, I live in North Georgia This fun little blog post has turned into much more than I expected. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did taking the photos and identifying the birds. Georgia |
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March 2021
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