More favorite bird photos

Baltimore Oriole with Sparrow in the back

On the nectar feeder

Back and tail plumage

Sandhill Crane

Baby Sparrow(?) after rain storm

Evil eye Grackle

Turkey Vulture warming its wings

Pileated Woodpecker taking off

Pileated Woodpecker taking off

Our nation’s symbol: Bald Eagle

A family outing

Here are a few more of our favorite bird images. The Turkey Vulture and Pileated Woodpecker are on the top of the same utility pole. The waterlogged little fledgling was blown out of the nest during a storm. Parents did tend to it, don’t know the outcome. We caught the eagle on a whale watching cruise around the San Juan Islands in Washington State. And the family of ducks was enjoying a walk in the town of Chincoteague on the island of the same name, on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.

 

Some favorite portraits of birds

Here’s a few photos we got of some of our feathered friends.

Young robin right out of the nest

Starling parent, bottom, feeding youngster, top

Red bellied woodpecker

Red-headed Woodpecker

Immature White Ibis

Female Pileated Woodpecker

Brown Pelican

We have always enjoyed birdwatching and found it exciting to see various birds as we have traveled the country. When COVID hit, stopping our travels, we also began to enjoy birding in our own backyard. We both were surprised at how many different species visited our home.

 

Blue Jay enjoying a suet cake

Blue jays love suet, and they like suet feeders set on a tree trunk allowing them to solidly perch, as opposed to hanging feeders that sway. This jay was really enjoying the suet cage we set against one of our backyard trees. Blue jays are very intelligent, and some believe that they are capable of remembering individual human faces.

 

Robin out of the nest a bit early

Parent knows the youngster is somewhere close by, they can hear it!


Now the youngster is looking for somebody to help.

About ten minutes after we shot these videos we saw both the young and old robins in our front yard. The adult was catching worms and grubs and feeding the youngster. Guess all is well, at least for a while.

Grackle feeds its youngster

The gray bird landed, and we did not recognize what kind of bird it was. Soon however two grackles showed up and it was obvious that they were here to feed their offspring.

We did not recognize this species

Ah, looks like a parent is here to feed the youngster

There is the second parent and the youngster demanding more to eat

This was an interesting and enjoyable event for us to observe. It was the first time we had seen an immature grackle. There is always something going on with the wildlife in our backyard! We enjoy sharing our photos with you.

 

Pileated woodpeckers in the neighborhood

Looking out the front door I spotted a pair of Pileated woodpeckers on the side of a tree across the street. One of them, a male, flew right at me and landed in a big tree next door. The second stayed on the other side of the street flying from tree to tree.

Within a very short time the female across the street had flown tree to tree down the street and out of sight. These large birds create quite a commotion when they fly through the neighborhood!

Wet bunny and other critters

Wet bunny sitting in a heavy rain shower

Baltimore oriole enjoying the nectar feeder

Red-winged blackbird This is the first season we have seen this species in our yard

This squirrel loves a crunchy kernel of corn

We really enjoy the menagerie that shows up in our backyard. At one point yesterday we counted at least nine (9) squirrels romping around. They were having fun chasing each other up and down and around the tree, and it looked like total pandemonium. We are very fortunate to have a nice yard that gives us our own little slice of nature.

A Baltimore oriole is a new visitor

We enjoyed seeing a Baltimore oriole for the first time over the past few days. A very colorful bird indeed.

Those pesky sparrows love to photo bomb

This fellow loves our hummingbird feeder

It seems like he is proud of his plumage

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’ve seen at least two males (the pics are of a male) and at least one female. Hopefully there is a nest nearby. We may have to get another hummingbird feeder, as the orioles have taken over this one. Orioles love nectar, and appearently fresh fruit. We’ll try hanging some cut oranges up soon.