A Chickadee for Saturday Critters

 We have many Chickadees visiting Bird Alley daily! and I seldom focus upon them for a photo, but today is their day! I am linking this morning to Eileen's Saturday Critters which can be found at viewingnaturewitheileen.com

Bird Alley Winter Activity

 Watching the birds is a wonderful daily fascination for us. As the seasons change, so often does the bird species that visit and feed here. It is only during the winter months when we get to view Cardinals daily.

Chickadees are all season visitors. the Bluejays

seem to disappear during the summer months but they are here in full force daily during these cold winter days. Also we most often have Nuthatches daily, both the White-breasted and the Red-bellied

and the Red bellied. Woodpeckers seem to be quite scarce this winter, but we used to often have the Hairy Woodpecker

and its little look alike cousin, the Downy

almost daily during winters. We have not seen any Juncos this winter, which is surprising as often with a fresh sprinkling of snow we could predict the arrival of little Juncos.

This winter we have experienced visits from Common Redpolls

which seemed to be missing from Bird Alley during the past two winters. And I have a tendency to forget to mention American Goldfinch

which are not here daily but frequently. We have not seen any little`` finch cousins, the Pine Siskins yet this winter. And also missing is my favourite little northern sparrow, the Tree Sparrows. Last winter I saw a Tree Sparrow only once in Bird Alley and that was at the end of the winter or early spring. Starlings

are seen occasionally but not often. Crows

of course are daily visitors feeding on food scraps thrown in the driveway for them to feed on.

Female Cardinals

 We seldom see a female Cardinal in Bird Alley, however this last week a female cardinal visited on three days in a row. What a wonderful, beautiful sighting she was!

 

A Cardinal and Bluejay for Saturday Critters

 These two birds are not feeder buddies and seldom perch this close together.  In Bird Alley they both are attracted to our Cardinal food which is full of blackoiled sunflower seeds.  The Cardinal is a loner and does not share the same feeding feeder with the many invading Bluejays however, on this one day my husband had placed food scraps in our driveway for the crows, and both the Cardinal and Bluejay were very interested as they watched together from our Tamarack tree. I am posting this morning to Eileen's Saturday Critters which can be found at  viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.com.

Have a wonderful safe and healthy weekend everyone!

Common Redpolls for Saturday Critters

 Earlier this week we had Common Redpolls at our feeders.  this was a lovely surprise as we haven't seen Redpolls in Bird Alley that we can recall within the last two years! The first Redpolls were male with their lovely red breasts and red caps!

Then on another day we had females visiting. I am posting today to Eileen's Saturday Critters which can be found at

viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.com

White breasted Nuthatch for Saturday Critters.

 The day after a very wet, windy, rainy Christmas day and the bird feed in the bird feeders must be very soaked but that does not deter a group of chickadees from feeding there. Also present there was  a female Cardinal which does not appear very often but I did not get its picture!   and of course the Bluejays have also shown up.

However the prize sighting for me today was a White-breasted Nuthatch, which has been dropping by to feed quite often . but I have not been able to capture its picture until this morning that is!

I am posting this morning to viewingbirdswithheileen.blogspot.com 

Yesterday morning a White- breasted Nuthatch... and this morning a Red-breasted Nuthatch!  ta daa!

Male and female cardinal for Saturday Critters

 I am always very delighted to see a Cardinal in Bird Alley. Its colour is so bight and outstanding! Its like seeing it for the first time!  As a child I had never seen a cardinal and so when one appears at our feeders, its like OMG!  Look at that bird!

The femal Cardinal has the sameness of beak colour but her feathers are more subdued looking being of a fawn or brownish shade.

I am linking today to Eileen's  Saturday Critters meme which can be found at:

virwingnaturewitheileen.blogspot,com

Have a healthy, safe  and wonderful weekend everyone!

Bohemian Waxwings for Saturday Critters

 We have had an adundant crop of American Bittersweet berries this fall. Recently we have seen a wandering flock of Waxwings making sporadic visits to the bittersweet berries. These berries have an outer coat of yellow. They swoop in to feed but then suddenly are gone again. As the outer yellow skin peels of the inner undercoat is seen as red!the berries and Waxwings create a beautiful sight! I am posting this morning to Eileen’s meme of Saturday Critters which can be found at viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.com

Have a wonderful, safe and healthy weekend everyone!

A Handsome Common Grackle for Saturday Critters

 We had few  Common Grackles visit Bird Alley this spring and so I was especially pleased to welcome one at our feeders this November. It only appeared for the one day but on that day I took advantage of the sun shining on its beautiful iridescent feathers when I took the photos. 

                   

I am posting today to Eileen's Saturday critters which can be found at viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot,ca                   

Have a wonderful safe and healthy weekend everyone!

Evening Grosbeaks foe Saturday Critters

 This morning and prviously one day this week we were invaded by a small horde of Evening Grosbeaks.  The big lure was amall black oiled sunflower seeds! shown below are ten Grosbeaks on the ground. There were often many at a feeder at the same time!

The males are the ones with the bright yellow colouring!

The female do not exhibit the bright yellow on their body but rather they exhibit a soft, light gray in their coloring as shown directly below!.

I am posting today to Eileen's Saturday Critters which can be found at viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.com

Have a safe and healthy weekend everyone!

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A Female wood Duck for Saturday Critters

 I don't know how long they stay around but I found this female wood duck earlier this week in oue local lagoon.  Perhaps it is the last glimpse I will get of thes species until

il March 2021! I have always been very attracted to this female Duck because of her distinctive white eye!  I think it is quite beautiful!!! I am linking today to Eileen's Meme, Saturday Critters.  which can be found at viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca

Have a safe and healthy Halloween weekend!

Feeding Robin for Saturday Critters

 Its that time of year again when the Robins flock to our yard to deed on the abundant berries of our flowering crab apple trees,  American Bittersweet berries  and the many. many rose hips!

This morning this early feeder was seen in  our flowering crab apple tree.  Some of the little crab apples

can also be seen. I am posting this morning to Eileen's Saturday Critters which can be found at

viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca

Having a wonderful , safe and healthy weekend everyone!

A Yellow Rumped Warbler for Saturday Critters

 We don't often see warblers in our feeder area , so it was a  very pleasant surprise to see this little Yellow Rumped visitor flitting about our trees a few days ago. At first I was confused about its id, but upon downloading the pictures I saw an unmistakable yellow showing under its folded wings on its lower back!

  Ah ha! it has a yellow rump!

A double check in a bird field guide and I was confident in identifying this sweet bird as a Yellow -rumped Warbler!

I am posting today to Eileen's Saturday Critters, which can be found at 

viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca

Enjoy your weekend everyone