2:03 AM – Sometimes I have trouble distinguishing between the American Goldfinch, the Pine Warbler and the Yellow Warbler. The video below shows a Pine Warbler. The on-line experts give us these identifiers to look for: The bills of the Warblers are longer and thinner than that of the Goldfinch – the latter has a beak that looks more like a Cardinals. The Warbler’s feathers are not brightly colored, usually greenish-yellow . Goldfinches have lots of black on the wings and tail, and the wing bars are white. The Pine Warbler has bars on the wings. Warblers have streaks (sometimes faint reddish) on the breast and belly. Goldfinches hang out in flocks, while Warblers are usually solitary. And the YelllowWarblers are migrators, we see them passing through, but the Goldfinches are here for the winter. The Pine Warblers are here all year.
3:17 AM – White Breasted Nuthatch adventures. In the first one he’s avoiding an unpleasant looking Cardinal on the Squirrel Buster. In the second part a Cardinal attacks him on the suet feeder. But the Nuthatch perseveres.
Another video of questionable Cardinal behavior, this time against a Purple Finch.
3:43 AM – The Mourning Doves aren’t around as much as when the platform feeder was up, but they’re still here. This one wades right into the water for a bath.
Here’s a fat brown Cardinal having lunch. Maybe not fat, just puffed up. I’m assuming this is a young bird who hasn’t got his adult colors yet.
2:49 AM – We moved the big birdbath in front of the camera, and we’re getting a nice variety of visitors. Here we have (in order of appearance) another line-up of visitors: a Bluebird, Cardinal, Brown Thrasher, Carolina Wren, squirrel (two eared variety) and a midnight cat.
Cardinal and Chickadee sharing the Squirrel Buster feeder. As usual, the Cardinal stays put and feeds, while the Chickadee darts in and out.
12:28 AM – We had enough decent videos this week so that once again we’re skipping ‘Retro Sunday’. Instead, here’s a series of birds (and others) at the birdbath. We’re getting a greater variety now that the camera is focused on the water feature. In order of appearance: Brown Thrasher, Purple Finch, Yellow Warbler (I think), a squirrel and finally, a Raccoon passing through on his way to ravage the mealworm feeder. I’m calling the third one a Yellow Warbler, and not a Goldfinch, because there are no head markings. But I could easily be wrong.
Lots of Bluebirds around lately. I’d still like to get footage of them chasing each other, but that’s not really possible with our cameras and very limited cinematography skill. Here’s one having a suet-snack.
12:11 AM – We switched the feeders around, for variety. Now the suet feeder is in the spot light. This little Chickadee is pecking a tiny dent in the cake of suet with it’s tiny beak. The Carolina Wren does a better job, with his long sharp beak. This Wren is really hungry.
Female Purple Finch. They’re not as colorful as the male, but I think quite attractive, with their stripes and brown feathers.
1:37 AM – More birds drinking, this time a Chickadee and a Blue Jay. For some reason we haven’t seen the Jays at the feeders too much lately, though we spot them high up in the trees. Maybe we’ve got a bird-feeing competitor in the neighborhood.
That striped Purple Finch is back again. He’s a handsome bird.