Is There Anything So Beautiful . . .

. . . as a Cardinal in Winter?

A Stunning Cardinal

Just LOOK at this photo that Chris took!
(You have to click on it to enlarge it.)

I am just speechless.
In this case, a picture is definitely worth a thousand words!

Birds of a Feather

I haven't been keeping up with my birdwatching photos lately, so my birding friends are in for a treat! This guy went prancing across the backyard a couple of weeks back. We have seen a number of them in groups, but this was the first loner I've seen.

Here is one of our little Chipping Sparrows. There are about six of them that are constantly at the feeders. This photo doesn't do the cap on his head justice--it is almost a brilliant red-orange on the male.


This is a sweet photo of two of the American Goldfinches that frequent the feeders. Their plumage is changing so quickly!

Here is a picture of a bird I am having trouble identifying. Initially we thought it was a Goldfinch whose plumage hadn't changed yet, but it is far bigger and the beak is stouter. Any thoughts?

I have posted pics of this little guy before--he is our Red Squirrel who is having a blast on the new feeder. Isn't the feeder beautiful? You can see that it has suet cages on either end.

Our pair of Cardinals come out every morning about 10am and every evening at dusk--their song is so loud--"TWEET!!" We can even hear it in the house with the windows closed!

We had a special treat the other night--James told us that there were deer outside and we almost knocked each other over trying to get to the camera to take photos before they were gone. There were six of them and they were so sweet.


And I am saving the best for last--our newest addition to the backyard menagerie--a Brown-Headed Cowbird! Their feathers are iridescent and spectacular.


Happy birding!

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!

Our Wild Backyard

*edited to say that the "unidentified Bird" is an American Goldfinch.

We continue to enjoy all of the visitors to the feeders. Here are some recent photos of who has been dropping by!

Male Cardinal


Female Cardinal


Nuthatch


Tufted Titmouse


Yet to be Identified American Goldfinch


Pesky, Good-for-Nothing, Rotten Squirrel


Downy Woodpecker

We also have a million Chickadees and Pine Siskins. I have only seen Robins twice. If anyone can help us to identify the one bird shown here, we would appreciate it.

Happy Monday!