Monday, December 15, 2008

Backyard Bird Series: #1 (Garden Blogger 'Blooming Bird' Day

Since my December garden is rather brown and dull, I thought I'd do a little alteration to the usual Garden Blogger Bloom Day protocol, which is hosted by Carol, May Dreams Gardens...and post some surprises:)

As fall edges up on winter, these are some of the very special guests who have been taking up residence and blooming in my yard:

Cedar Waxwing: (He looks like a masked bandit, to me)


(This is the first time I've ever seen a cedar waxwing, that I know of. I don't recall them ever being in my yard before).

Tufted Titmouse: (He's holding a safflower seed in his beak)
White-Breasted Nuthatch: (Eating hulled and black-oil sunflower seeds)



Bluebird: (ballet on birdbath)


Black Capped Chickadee:

Red-Bellied Woodpecker: (why do they call him that? he's red HEADED, not red bellied!)
Gold Finches and House Finches: (looking like christmas tree ornaments)

Blue Birds and Finches sharing feeder: (MORE Christmas tree ornaments)
Do you think my colorful birds look pretty enough to serve as my blooming flowers this month? I do, and that's why I shared them!
--Today I'm thankful for...all of the birds blooming in my garden:)

37 comments:

  1. Definitely Jan, definitely :-D

    What a wonderful show! I particularly liked the Tufted Titmouse with the sunflower heart. What a great shot! It also slightly reminds me of the crested tit here in Scotland (NIMG). Great stuff :-)

    I too plan a little artistic licence for my GBBD posting. I don’t do indoor plants. Have a good week :-D

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  2. Hiya,

    LOVELY, LOVELY, LOVELY!

    I like Zorro, the Waxwing best.

    Best regards,
    joco

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  3. Yes, I do think they qualify to serve as a colorful bloom this month! At this time of year, those of us that are weathering winter are desperate for color, aren't we? Great shots..I like the last photo best!

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  4. What lovely photos of the birds visiting your garden. I had to stretch the concept of GBBD a bit, but that is what blogging for me is all about.

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  5. Hi Jan, yes, I do believe your birds are more than pretty enough and your captures of them are fantastic! I have never seen bluebirds at the feeders before either. Is that niger seed? The cedar waxwings are my very favorite bird, don't tell the others!

    Frances at Fairegarden

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  6. I would think these are every bit as lovely as flowers in bloom. Great pictures!

    We have to take our pleasures where we cwn find them this time of the year. Thanks for sharing such delightful blooms!

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  7. You have some colorful visitors to the garden right now Jan! Happy GBBD! :)

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  8. Wonderful "blooms" in your garden! They are all so precious!

    I've always wondered the same about the red-bellied woodpecker! Your last photo of colors is just something! My goldfinch are wearing their winter coats now and not vibrant yellow.

    Cameron

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  9. Such pretty, little "flowers"! I'm amazed at the variety!
    Katarina

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  10. Wonderful post. Birds are blooming in my garden too.
    Marnie

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  11. Wow, you have a lot of great visitors in your garden. It's too cold here for any signs of life outside unless you count a ditz stumbling around with a broken camera. LOL.

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  12. Beautiful birds! I love that Cedar Waxwing. My bird guide says that they are around here, but I've never seen one. You lucky girl.

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  13. They are prettier then some flowers I have in my garden! The nuthatches and titmouse are two of my favorite garden visitors. We have Cedar Waxwings...all the cedar trees keep them visiting. Have a good Bloom Day!

    Gail

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  14. Those are great photos! It looks like the birds were posing for you.

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  15. Absolutely! Birds are bloomin'!

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  16. Hi Jan,
    What a wonderful idea to show the birds that come to your garden! They are lovely!

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  17. Such lovely and colorful birds, they must be a joy to watch all winter.

    Jen

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  18. Yes, I agree. Your birds are as "flowerful" as can be! (I see you have the same squirrel-proof feeder that we do! ha.) Happy bird watching!!

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  19. I definitely like the birds for bloom day. When there are no flowers, and even when there are, the birds are fun to watch and can be very colorful.

    Thanks for joining in!

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  20. Those bird pictures take my breath away! They're wonderful.

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  21. US birds are so colourful -ours always seem a bit boring in comparison. Love the cedar waxwing. he looks like Zorro's evil cousin ...

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  22. Hi Jan, what a wonderful idea posting birds 'blooming' in your garden! Great shots, colours and variety! I really can't decide which is the best...they all look sooo good!!

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  23. You keep adorable company! Don't believe I've ever seen a cedar waxwing ... lovely photos.

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  24. Birds are beautiful any day and any hour. You certainly do capture their personalities. Beautiful photos.

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  25. The bird pics are gorgeous! I love the shot of the Tufted Titmouse, he looks like he's wearing eyeliner.

    We used to hang a bird feeder with both suet and seed outside our apartment window when we lived in Chapel Hill, and we got all kinds of birds. It's the only situation where I've been able to see the red-orange patch on the belly of a Red-Bellied woodpecker.

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  26. Ah yes, they count for blooms for sure during the dreary days of the winter.

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  27. Jan, What beautiful, colorful photos!
    That's a great idea to post the birds 'blooming'!
    ~Aerie-el

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  28. I love your birding photos, you must have a wonderful camera! I have never had bluebirds visit a feeder, what are you feeding them? We do have Cedar Waxwings visit the berried shrubs several times over the winter, I usually hear them before I see them.

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  29. Your photos are beautiful! I'll be sure to check back often for more inspiration!

    Happy Gardening

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  30. Very sweet birds. The garden is not just blooms, but all the little creatures. Lovely photos.

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  31. Wow Jan! You have all those birds NOW? We have some of those, but no bluebirds or waxwings that I've seen. Gorgeous shots!

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  32. I don't know how you get such great photos- what's your secret?

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  33. Hi Jan,
    Those are some beautiful birds in your garden!!! We have a few those around here, although they are elusive, I can never catch them close enough to take a good picture. I guess they are camera shay! Thanks for stopping by My Gardening Woes Blog. I really appreciate it! Glad to hear your Forsythia came back from it's "trimming". Have a safe and happy holiday!

    Sherrie

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  34. Hi Everyone! Thanks to all for your nice comments. I have tried to visit your GBBD posts and leave a message on your blogs:) If I haven't been there yet, I WILL! I'm going to try to answer some of your questions here...other than that, I'll be dropping by to see you.

    Bird Seed: While I have 2 feeders with niger seed, what is shown in the feeders on this post is black oil sunflower seed. The bluebirds seem to love it, as well as the hulled (shelled) sunflower seed.
    Camera: I use a Nikon D-40X with a 300mm lens. The birds just hang out naturally and I can photograph them through my kitchen window.

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  35. Oh yes, one more thing: I think one of the main reasons I get so many birds during the winter is my Heated Birdbath. They love it!

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  36. You have an amazing variety of birds. During the winter months, birds are the flowers in my garden! It is a great bloom day post!

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  37. Great photos! I especially like the woodpecker! I haven seen any birds in my yard for quite a while. Maybe because I don't have a heated birdbath;)

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Thanks so much for visiting and taking the time to comment! Please enjoy your TODAY and all of the gifts in YOUR garden of life!

Jan

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