Sunday – 4.30.2017

1:33 AM – It’s been interesting watching the young bluebirds develop. Even though the adult male still feeds them sometimes, this clip shows they’ve pretty much mastered the mealworm eating technique. We wonder how long they’re fully grown and move on. Maybe they won’t, and we’ll have a large, permanent bluebird colony.

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We’re seeing more hummers. We’d like to have so many the sound of them is so loud we have to wear hearing protection.

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This closeup rearview of one of the Blue Jays shows this back and tail – the color is vivid, and the pattern is almost digital.

Saturday – 4.29.2017

3:40 AM – We replaced the shabby old birdbath we were using as a feeder with a nice one, made of wood with a screen floor. The birds probably don’t care, but it does look better. Here is a parade of birds trying it out: Cardinal, White Breasted Nuthatch, Sparrow and North Carolina Chickadee.

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We don’t have clouds of hummingbirds yet, but we’re starting to see an increase in traffic.

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The Blue Jays are now at the feeder off and on, all day. I think they’re nesting in a tree across the yard by the back fence. This is interesting – one Jay flies into the other, knocking him off the feeder, then does a kind of hopping victory dance. The last part of the clip shows this in slow motion.

Friday – 4.28.2017

6:09 AM – We haven’t seen the female bluebird around for a few weeks now, since the young bluebirds showed up. It’s been the male that feeds them continually (it seems). She’s back now. We don’t know what that means in terms of the bluebirds mating/nesting/hatching cycle. Bluebirds can have three or four broods a year, we understand. Since this is our first year watching, we don’t really know if that applies to this lot of birds.

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Now we know for sure there are at least two Blue Jays. Check out the little hopping dance one of them does – slow motion version at the end of the clip.

Thursday – 4.27.2017

1:06 AM – How long will Mr. Bluebird have to feed these teen-aged blue devils? And how much? They’re going to be too fat to fly.

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Only the male cardinal uses the mealworm feeder, not sure why that is. He started a few weeks ago. Here’s a good close-up of him.

Wednesday – 4.26.2017

3:57 AM – We’re not sure, but it looks like we’ve got at least two different Blue Jays. Take a look.

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Here’s a couple of the bluebird kids sharing the mealworm feeder. Their coloring seems to be getting a little clearer. The one on the right is a male, and getting bluer, while the other is probably a female, and staying gray.

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Finally, this video combines a couple of visitors we haven’t seen for a while – a Hummingbird (Ruby Throated, I think) returns to the Foodcourt, and the squirrel with one ear is back. At least I think it’s the same one-eared guy. I couldn’t find the old video to compare, but how many one-ears can there be in one Foodcourt?

Tuesday – 4.25.2017

12:03 AM – Recently Mrs. Cardinal tangled with one of the delinquent bluebirds, and come out second best. Evidently she was surprised the first time. This time it goes a little differently. The action part is repeated in slow motion. All that’s followed by a brief food sharing episode with Mr. Cardinal.

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The Blue Jay seems to have become a regular, I’m pleased to say.

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We have focused on the bluebirds and Blue Jays so much lately it’s easy to forget there are a lot of other birds in the Foodcourt. Here’s a couple of those – a very handsome Yellow-rumped Warbler and a White Breasted Nuthatch – just going about their business.

Monday – 4.24.2017

1:01 AM – Blue Jay at the platform feeder. We want more of these birds. They have the most handsome coloring of all our visitors, equal to the Cardinals.

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Later that afternoon, the Blue Jay returns. A few moments later, a Red-bellied Woodpecker lands on the feeder. They have a brief confrontations. I’d call it a stand off – the woodpecker isn’t intimidated, and the Jay takes his time leaving, getting a seed to-go. But he doesn’t want to get too close to that woodpecker beak. I’m surprised at how small the woodpecker is compared to the Jay. Except for the beak, of course.

Part of this video is slowed down to 25% of normal speed. I wish the quality of our cameras was better, but, it is what it is, as they say around here.

Sunday – 4.23.2017

12:14 AM – Today it’s all about bluebirds again. The young ones continue to use the mealworm feeder, in some cases two at a time:

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The young ones are now joining the adult male on the feeder. The young one can more or less feed itself, but father bluebird keeps shoveling mealworms down its throat whenever asked.

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Finally, this brief but cool clip of one of the young bluebird thugs hogging the platform feeder. This is in slow motion, though it’s hard to tell that – the incident was over in a small fraction of a second, real time.

Saturday – 4.22.2017

12:20 AM – We haven’t seen a Mockingbird for quite a while. This one seems to be checking things out.

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We’ve been waiting for the young bluebirds to start feeding themselves at the mealworm feeder, and this one finally is trying it out. He’s spilling a lot more than he’s eating, but he’s getting there.

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A Purple Finch and a young bluebird are sharing the watering hole, peacefully for a change. Then they move over to the platform feeder. Watch the bluebird try to bathe in the seeds. His instincts are good, but he hasn’t quite grasped the concept.

Friday – 4.21.2017

4:05 AM – For a little variety, we swapped the finch sock for the suet feeder, so we could get some video of the different finches. Evidently it takes a little time for them to get used to the change, as we haven’t seen the first finch. We have, however, seen this Downy Woodpecker. I didn’t know they used the finch sock, but, okay.

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We have more conflict at the platform feeder. This Titmouse goes for the Purple Finch. I guess it’s all natural. I like the way the finch pops right back after the Titmouse leaves, though I see him looking around, to be sure the coast is clear.

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And now for some bluebirds. Here are four of the young ones, hanging out.

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And here are two of them, bathing together.

Backyard Birds in Central Alabama