Ramble On

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Feeder Birds


With the change of season, I changed the feeders we keep around the place. I posted about the hummingbird feeder a couple of weeks back – with the hummingbirds apparently gone I am putting up a couple of seed feeders for the other birds. Also a note to Howard about the migrating hummingbirds - I'll keep that in mind for next year.

This year, we’ll have two hanging seed feeders, one in the maple tree and the other in the side yard on the old post mount that Brit and Lori left behind. These photos of the post mounted feeder is taken from inside the house.

The hawks have matured and moved on, although I think I hear a call here and there, and I sometimes catch site of what I think is one of them crashing through the woods on the hunt. The experts say that it is likely that they are programmed on our hollow and will come back over the years, although they could over winter elsewhere.

The new feeder locations have a few trees nearby, so there is shelter for the little birds when they come to feed. Last winter, we had nuthatches, chickadees, sparrows, and juncos in a mixed winter flock that would move through in a group. That was pretty fun to watch, sitting out on the brick terrace with a cup of coffee.


Question for the class - this bird on the feeder - is it a nuthatch or a titmouse? It has a crest which it folds back when feeding; although there are barely visible reddish patches under the wings.
I'll keep an eye out and try to post some of our other visitors this winter.

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