1:00 AM – This is our first sighting of a Cedar Waxwing this year. It’s just one bird. Last year the Waxwings came in force, in April, so maybe this one is just a stray.
Last year’s Invasion of the Waxwings.
Thursday – 1.25.2018
1:00 AM – Part two of the ‘Flock of Sparrows’ video. In this one the Sparrows share with a White Breasted Nuthatch and Purple Finch.
Red-bellied Woodpecker on the platform feeder. There’s a special appearance by a Brown Headed Nuthatch at the end of the clip.
Wednesday – 1.24.2018
3:51 AM – A flock of Sparrows have been around for a few days. Here’s a video of them sharing the platform feeder with a Cardinal and Dove. They aren’t spooked by the bigger birds, and keep right on eating.
Another birdbath video, this one with a Robin, Purple Finch and Bluebird. They’re probably very happy the ice is gone. For now, anyway.
Tuesday 1.23.2018
4:02 AM – The Thicket Cam is a camera we installed at the lower part of our yard, in a stand of small trees and brush. We hope to capture video of critter that won’t/don’t come up on the deck. We don’t have the camera situated exactly right yet, but we did get this clip of a raccoon checking out the setup. More and better video to come.
Another unexpected Retro Video, but a good one. From July 9, 2017:
Monday – 1.22.2018
3:37 AM – An unscheduled Retro Monday.
Here’s a gang of Blue Jays from 9.7.2017:
Sometimes Blue Jays squabble, and sometimes they seem to get along alright. Watch this small gang of Jays go for a pile of fresh seed. Then watch them get dispersed by one Mourning Dove. The Jays keep coming back – but the camera battery ran out of juice before the matter was settled. I suspect it never gets settled, this kind of thing just goes on all day. Notice that there’s still a little Summer Molting going on.
From 8.11.2017, a couple of juvenile Bluebirds, with patchy, striped markings.
Sunday – 1.21.2018
Special Retro-Repeat. This is the post from one year ago today, 1.21.2017. I think that’s the same raccoon.
9:55 AM – The platform feeder on the deck doesn’t have drainage, so last night’s rain filled it up with water. Here’s a couple of birds coming to terms with that. They look disappointed, but I don’t have much sympathy with that. There are five other feeders around the yard. No one goes hungry. No bird left behind.
4:55 AM – For about 30 minutes last night, ‘Rocky’ Raccoon feasted at the platform feeder, and washed up in the bird bath. Here’s a sample of the videos we captured. He looked really hungry:
In this one he eats voraciously, then gets into the bird bath for a wash:
Finally, ‘Rocky’ overdoes it, and knocks the bath off the rail. Unlike past episodes, he didn’t fall.
As interesting as these videos are, we don’t really want ‘Rocky’ as a regular guest. We’ll probably start bringing the food in at night, and emptying the bird baths.
Saturday – 1.20.2018
3:53 AM – Variety of birds on the cylinder feeder, including Cardinal, Downy Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Mockingbird, Bluebird and Squirrel. Notice the squirrel giving up after a few bites. Pepper seed works, usually.
Plus one more cylinder bird, this one a Pine Warbler. He’s about the same color as some whole hard-boiled egg yolks I’ve seen.
Friday – 1.19.2018
3:30 AM – Our ‘wilderness cam’ hasn’t caught anything exciting yet, but we did get this Carolina Wren picking at the inside of a hickory nut. If we don’t feed them, they will no doubt find food on their own. You have to look close – the Wren blends in to the leaves perfectly.
Close up of a Red-bellied Woodpecker on the cylinder feeder.
Thursday – 1.18.2018
3:07 AM – The Blue Jays have come back, probably because we’re putting out peanuts everyday. Here’s one stuffing nuts in his crop for later.
Short clip of a midnight raccoon scavenging up the leftover peanuts in the feeder. These cold nights can’t be pleasant for the little animal, but we’re not building a ‘raccoon house’, like a dog house. Probably.
Wednesday – 1.17.2018
3:36 AM – We put a kind of jury-rigged bird bath at the far end of the yard, hoping to capture videos of wild creatures at night. That’s a plastic gallon water jug cut down, with rocks to weigh it. Instead of exotic wild animals, our first customer was a standard variety Robin. We’ll see what we get at night.
This is about four minutes of various birds coming and going on the platform feeder. We have these birds coming and going and coming back again: Cardinal, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Brown-headed Nuthatch, female Purple Finch, Purple Finch and a Sparrow.