7:34 AM – This is a video of an immature Cardinal. According to Cornell Lab website, the juveniles can have dark beaks like this one, plus the dull colored feathers. With the number of Cardinals we see, it’s surprising we don’t run across more of these.
We just got a new camera to replace one that failed. This is it’s first outing, capturing a Carolina Wren at the mealworm feeder. The camera has sound, unlike the previous one.
12:50 AM – It seems like all we see at the platform feeder these days are Doves, Cardinals and Blue Jays. We used to have a wider selection of birds – maybe we’ll see that again in Fall. In the meantime, here’s a rare (for now) appearance of a female House Finch. Of course she gets run off by a scruffy looking Cardinal.
Back to the Blue Jays – here’s a typical session on the platform: Cracking open a seed, and sharing the feeder with a Blue Jay friend. That’s a dove that shows up half way through. The Jays are getting used to them, as you’ll see.
2:43 AM – We recently put a cylinder of compressed seed impregnated with some kind of hot pepper material. It works very well to keep the squirrels from hogging the feeders. Here it is in action, repelling a squirrel who tries a few bites.
We have seen a ton of Blue Jays lately. The Identification Project is still going on, but we’ve become confused by the similar markings. How many ‘families’ we’ve got now is uncertain. They’re showing up in pairs lately, and not fighting, so presumably they’re related.
3:45 AM – The Cardinals have had a bad time of it lately, what with the molting. Some of them are so pathetic looking that I stopped posting videos of them. Even though I’ve been reassured by more experienced back yard bird enthusiasts that this happens every summer, it’s been disturbing. This Cardinal, however, does seem to have a new batch of head feathers, ones that look bright and new, when compared with those on his body. This may be the same one that was featured a while back. They look new to me, anyway, and I’m inclined to be optimistic about this.
The friction between the Mourning Doves and Blue Jays continues. The larger, heavier Doves almost always prevail in these skirmishes.
4:09 AM – Nice looking Downy Woodpecker at the cylinder feeder.
Two Blue Jays sharing the platform.
4:46 AM – This Blue Jay is easily identified by his black crest and the black sides of his face, and back of his head. He also has one small white patch at the ‘small’ of his back, before the tail feathers begin, and one other one half way up his back on the left. Also, no ‘collar’ around his neck/shoulders. I don’t really want to call him ‘Black Head’, so suggestions for a name are welcome.
We replaced the suet with a cylinder of compressed seeds, the ‘hot pepper’ style. This White Breasted Nuthatch is one of the first consumers. The Nuthatches don’t usually dawdle at the feeders, as the hit-and-run style of this one demonstrates.
12:29 AM – Retro-Sunday, videos from the archives.
Bruno, the neighbor dog. For a while he was jumping the fence every couple of days. We haven’t seen him too much this Summer. This video is from May 26, 2017.
The Rose-breasted Grosbeak hasn’t been here since they migrated through in May, when this video was taken. They’re an interesting looking bird.
We see them when they stop to refuel on their way between South/Central America and up north in the USA. Here’s a map of where they live, depending on season.
Map is from Cornell Labs All About Birds website.
3:48 AM – More bluebirds. For some reason they were absent from the mealworm feeder for a day – we had no videos at all of them. The next day, though, they were back. Where were they? No one knows.
We’re gradually starting to identify each Blue Jay – we’re not sure how many, but we’ll eventually have a pretty good count. This one is recognizable by the two vivid white patches on his lower back, one above the other. His ‘collar’, the black marking around his neck is lower than most of the others, and his face markings are not strong, just a relatively faint line across the eyes and a black bar between the eyes. He also seems to be molting, but that’s another story. We need to find out of the markings change from molting to molting – just one more fact about birds we don’t know – yet.
2:41 AM – Nice video of a Carolina Wren eating mealworms.
I’ve been showing videos of this guy, assuming he’s an immature Red-bellied Woodpecker. I sure hope I’m right, and he’s not a full grown one with ‘no-headfeather’ syndrome. This is our first year keeping track of these birds, and a lot is still new to us. No, looking back at previous videos of this guy, he looks young – smaller and with imperfectly patterned feathers. He just looks immature, though less now than before.
1:41 PM – Today was maintenance day on the feeder, with D doing all of the cleaning and fixing up. She’s the best.
Once the feeders were back in operation we got this video of a Carolina Wren reaching into the suet cage for a snack.
And bluebirds, now regulars at the suet cage.