Every year we look forward to an influx of colorful birds in our yard. The numbers generally pick up in January, and usually coincide with colder temperatures. While birds are here at any given time throughout the year, there is more obvious activity at the feeders during the winter months:
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| Finches and a Bluebird at one of the feeding stations |
What do we do to attract the birds? One thing we do is provide a variety of seeds, nuts and berries in several different bird feeders. Black oil sunflower seed, hulled sunflower nuts, peanut pieces, safflower seed, nijer seed, and suet is available and enjoyed by many different birds. Here are some birds on the suet feeders:
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| Downy Woodpecker (female) on suet feeder |
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| Downy Woodpecker (male) on suet feeder |
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| Starling on suet feeder |
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| Carolina Chickadee on suet feeder |
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| Eastern Bluebirds on suet feeder |
Here are others on the seed feeders:
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| Eastern Bluebird |
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| Eastern Bluebirds (Male and Female) |
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| Eastern Bluebirds and House Finch |
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| Red Winged Blackbird |
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| Female Cardinal |
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| Northern Cardinal (male) |
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| Downy Woodpecker (female) |
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| Carolina Wren |
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| Downy Woodpecker and Starling |
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| Chickadee |
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| American Goldfinch |
Nijer (Thistle Seed) feeder:
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American Goldfinch
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| Goldfinch |
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| Eastern Bluebird (male) |
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| House Finch (female) |
Despite the food offerings, probably the most important thing we do is offer water. Birds love bird seed, but they
need water. We started out with a heated birdbath which the birds really love because it prevents the water from freezing over:
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| Eastern Bluebird (male) |
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| Bluebird (female) |
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| Male House Finch and Female Bluebird |
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| Female (L) and Male (R) Bluebirds |
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| Female Goldfinch |
Last summer we also installed a meandering stream. It has proven to be an attractive addition and/or alternative to the birdbath and I've immensely enjoyed watching the birds get to know it:
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| American Robin |
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| Mourning Dove |
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| House Finch (male) and Goldfinch (male) |
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| Goldfinch (female) |
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| Dark Eyed Juncos |
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| Eastern Bluebird (male) and Junco (male) |
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| Bluebird (female) and Junco (female) |
Something else that helps to make the birds feel safe is having some shelter, such as evergreens or bushes/shrubs that don't lose their leaves in the winter. We planted Leyland Cypress on either side of the house, and birds can frequently be seen resting on the bows of the trees, seemingly hidden from sight (except for mine!):
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| Male (L) and Female (R) Northern Cardinals |
We also have holly trees in the front yard, and on either side of the house. This morning I spotted this colorful guy up in the icy-covered branches:
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| Northern Cardinal (male) |
Many birds don't even go to the feeders, but enjoy the food that drops to the ground:
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| Dark Eyed Junco |
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Tree White Throated Sparrow (I had my short lens on and had to enlarge this photo to see it. Not the clearest photo...) |
Even when birds aren't eating, they are simply fun to watch, as they hop on railings, bird feeder poles or tree branches:
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| House Finch (male) |
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| House Finch (female) |
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| Northern Cardinal (male) |
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| Mourning Dove |
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| American Goldfinch |
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| House Finch and Eastern Bluebird |
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| Eastern Bluebird (male) |
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| Eastern Bluebird (female) |
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| Downy Woodpeckers |
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| White Breasted Nuthatch |
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| Brown Creeper |
I hope you've enjoyed these photos--I have captured them all within the past couple of weeks. Our weather has finally gotten cold and we've had a little snow a couple of times and even a minor 'icing'. I've said it before, but I do believe it: Winter is for the birds!
What do you do to attract birds?
Words and photos ©Thanks for today.™, by Jan Huston Doble @ http://www.thanksfor2day.blogspot.com/
Not to be reproduced or re-blogged without express permission of the author.
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful photos! Where do you find your sturdy bird feeder polls?
ReplyDeleteMost of our sturdy poles -- and particularly the are from Wild Bird Center, which is a franchise located close to our home. I have a couple that I've gotten from the big-box stores (Lowes, Home Depot) as well.
DeleteJan,
ReplyDeleteThose bluebirds at the feeders is a real trick!! I saw one land on one of our feeders a week ago, but didn't stick around. I think your tree sparrow is an White-throated Sparrow, never seen a tree sparrow myself.
Thanks Randy...I think you're right. I don't know why I called it a Tree Sparrow. I've seen White Throated Sparrows before. It was late when I posted this last night;-)
DeleteYour stream is so nice for the birds. I have a few birdbaths and keep breaking the ice or pouring water over the ice for them. I have not gotten a heated one as of yet. One of the many joys for me is to sit and watch the birds. They make me laugh, gasp in awe, and feel as if all is well with the world.
ReplyDeleteWhat a treat! I have to find a way to convince some of those bluebirds to visit Montreal.
ReplyDeleteI always take our birds for granted when I'm home! I hardly ever see anything other than geese when I'm down here. I especially love the cardinals and bluebirds!
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful photos - it makes the birds that visit our garden here in the UK look very ordinary - I love the colours of the bluebirds; can't think of anything quite like them here.
ReplyDeleteSo many questions I want to ask, Jan but had better limit myself to two! Your stream looks so natural, did you build it from scratch or was there running water to start with?
What camera equipment do you use to take such beautiful photographs?
Perhaps you have written about these before, if so I have missed them. Thanks for sharing with us.
Johnson
Hello Johnson, thanks for your kind words. The stream was built from scratch and runs with a recirculating pump. My camera is a Nikon D40x camera, with a 300 zoom and a 105 macro; I do own a tripod but rarely use it (although it would help my photos to be more stable & clear, I'm sure)! Most of my bird photos are taken from inside the house through windows, and in a few places, screen. I use the 'automatic' setting and know that if I would just 'learn' to use the manual settings I could have even better outcomes. I mostly just enjoy documenting the beauty and haven't been motivated to perfect the technology, as yet;-)
ReplyDeleteYour birds are so cute and colourful!
ReplyDeleteYou do have a lot of different birds visiting. I love the shot with the Cardinal in the berry shrub. How beautiful. I have to admit I am jealous that you have Blue Birds this time of the year. Mine always leave in the fall.
ReplyDeleteJan I love your visitors. Many of the same birds visit me even though I have no feeders but have native plants for them to feed on...I am envious of some of the spring birds and songbirds we do not have right now...
ReplyDeleteBeautiful blog post wonderful to see the birds feeding so happily in the winter <|;-)
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful captures of your feathered friends! I am surprised to see the bluebirds at your suet and seed feeders. I have never seen a bluebird at my feeders. They are usually eating from the ground.
ReplyDeleteWe have a lot of different birds but we never seem to have any bluebirds. Yours are so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHoly picture explosion! Your place looks like a party. AND thank you for helping me identify a bird. I've been looking all over the internet and finally found the right identification here. I appreciate your labels on birds. I'm learning:)
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful pictures! I love the bluebirds!
ReplyDeleteI put up some feeders this year and it has been so much fun watching the birds. It definitely helps to have different types of seed. I recently put up some smaller seeds which has attracted the goldfinches. Now I need a water feature!
Hooray, this page loaded. It didn't at first. Love your bird photos, just wonderful!! Think that is one of the best pics of a Brown Creeper...they are hard to photograph. Those birds LOVE your yard!!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I have seen Bluebirds on suet feeders. Very cool!
Yes, yes, yes, I loved all the photos! What I do to attract birds? We have lots of trees at our house complex, and that attracts birds naturally. On the terrace, I have placed a feeder made of mud, and put some food every day. I have also placed water for them to sip. :-)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. Just beautiful!
ReplyDeleteYou certainly prove you can never have too many feeders! LOVE your Bluebird photos! You have a beautiful stream and so many great birds :)
ReplyDeleteAw, cute photos! We have many of the same birds here during various times of the year. Mostly lately, with the cold weather, we're seeing cardinals and juncos. They're so fun to watch. These are great captures!
ReplyDeleteGreat captures. I'm impressed with the diversity. I mostly have finches.
ReplyDeleteWow!!! How fun to see all of those birds visiting your garden!!! Those bluebirds are the cutest. The cardinals on the evergreens are just gorgeous. The Brown Creepers are fun to watch -- they are hard to see and they scurry so fast. I can't seem to get the birds to sit still long enough to get a photo. I had put a net over my pond this fall/winter to try to keep the falling leaves out of the pond. The other day I noticed some birds hanging around my pond. I got worried that they were going to get their feet tangled in the net, so I removed the net. The leaves are done falling, so it was time. Hopefully the birds will come back to play in the water :-)
ReplyDeleteLovly with all that birds!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a feast for the eyes this post is Jan. You've got some beautiful shots! I'm doing the backyard bird count too and find it fascinating to compare with others doing the same. I rarely see goldfinches or bluebirds - so fun to see them here.
ReplyDeleteJan, you definitely DO have the backyard birds! I had to peek again to remind myself that you're in Virginia. Whereas we have all the birds here that you have, we'd Never see bluebirds in the winter!! Just beautiful photos!
ReplyDeleteWow, you really do have quite a few lovely visitors to your yard! I don't get but a few varieties here, but I think it's because we are smack dab in the middle of the suburbs, with no large trees or woods for them to hide in. I've never even seen a bluebird! Hey Jan, when you get a chance, make note of my new blog address, as my old one was deleted due to someone else's fraud. Grrrrr!
ReplyDeletehttp://lifeinrobinsnest.blogspot.com/
Jan, Your feeders certainly are a happening place!! That photo of the male cardinal among the red berries looks like a Christmas card.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you've seen the Versatile Blogger award going around (or perhaps have already been so honored). Anyway, I've named you as one of my "versatile bloggers." You can learn more here: http://jeansgarden.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/versatility/
No Pressure on this; I am not offended at all if people choose to ignore these awards. -Jean
You have an amazing variety of beautiful birds! You are obviously providing a great environment for them, as well as nutritious food. I really enjoyed looking at all your great photos, especially the ones of the bluebirds and the cardinals. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI have seen bluebirds at Huntley Meadows, but never in my yard. I think they are all in your yard!
ReplyDeleteDear Jan, Your photographs just get better and better. I hope you use those Cardinal photos for Christmas cards. The bluebirds are so pretty. I have all the birds you have, but can't match your photography. P. x
ReplyDeletetesting
ReplyDeleteThanks for the photos! Almost as good as being there myself... I do think when I retire I'll start some bird feeders myself. The birds don't really need it, but I'll enjoy watching the show!
ReplyDeleteWow, alot of beautiful phots here! http://theeverydaygardener.blogspot.com/
ReplyDelete