Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Cardinals and American Goldfinches

The birds continue to entertain us at the feeders, and we almost hold our breath in the mornings when we come down and look outside, hoping to see someone new!

We have a pair of cardinals that visit us regularly. Aren't they gorgeous?

On my weekend walks I have found a low, marshy area where I believe that several pairs are living. It is really a beautiful sight--to see the red birds flitting through the trees.

And here are the American Goldfinches. On Easter Sunday I saw three of them on the feeder at once.


If you remember this post--when we first saw this bird we would have never known how brilliant it's plumage was to become. Their feathers turn bright yellow twice a year when they molt.

We also saw two new birds on Easter Sunday, a Chipping Sparrow and a House Finch. I was able to get photos of the Sparrow, but the House Finch was only on the feeder for a few seconds. What brilliant feathers!

About a week ago we were startled to see a large bird with unusual markings--it was also gone before we could get a photo of it--turns out it was a Red-Bellied Woodpecker. If you have never seen one, Google Image it--AMAZING!

So far, our list of bird sightings include:

Chickadee
Hairy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Junco
Tufted Titmouse
Nuthatch
Eastern Bluebird
Pine Siskin
Crow
Robin
American Goldfinch
Cardinal
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Carolina Wren
Wild Turkey
Morning Dove
Chipping Sparrow
House Finch

We are so enthralled with this new hobby--more so than I think either of us expected to be!

And take a peek at my great new widget below from "Link Within"!! I have been scrolling through old posts all morning--you can see how it grabs old posts that are related to the one you just wrote. I loved the links to last year's Easter Bunny photo with James. PRICELESS!!

Get your own! I learned about this from my Bloggy friend over at Flip Flops and Applesauce. Thanks Chrissie!

8 comments:

Teresa R said...

I find it funny what we birders in different areas get excited about: in our neck of the woods, with very few pines (so far; dh has planted a bunch), we go nuts over a pine siskin but don't think much of the ubiquitous house finches (a few steps above house sparrows and brown-headed cow-birds, but not too much better). ;)

We have an insane female cardinal that, without fail, every year, attack our windows and, if a car is outside, the side-view mirrors. A friend who used to visit often when they lived in our town, would get so annoyed at this bird because she kept attacking my friend's car window and mirrors. LOL!

CC said...

This is so cool! I can recognize 3 birds: bluejay, robin, and crow. I'm good like that. ;)

Kelly said...

...love your cardinal photos! I'm the same way. The first thing I do in the morning is see who is at my feeders, and if it's warm enough I crack my window to listen. Once you start birding, there's no turning back!! I also love watching the goldfinches turn their beautiful, happy yellow! You're lucky you have turkeys and Bluebirds in your yard. I have to travel out a little to see those.

Jayne said...

Love the cardinals too and can't wait to see the goldfinch in their canary yellow!

Liz said...

LOVE the new widget! Added it!

Kathiesbirds said...

Wow, you live nearby to where I grew up! I know Amston, CT well. Glad to see you are getting into birdwatching. Do you know which kind of Nuthatch you have seen at your feeder? Do you have a Bird guide? Also, take a good look at your house finch to see if it is a purple finch instead. You should have both kinds there. You live in a great place to watch birds. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Nice shots of the cardinals!

Kathiesbirds said...

p.s., I just added the link also! Thanks for the heads up!

Chrissie said...

Amazing! I want to get a feeder. Not sure if we have that much variety in Southern Cal, but I would love it all the same!