Hermit Thrush photos by Larry Jordan
Enjoying the cold and rainy day off today, I decided it would be a great day to record some backyard birds for Project FeederWatch. If you haven’t heard, Project FeederWatch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America, operated by Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Lab of Canada.
When I walked out onto my back porch, there were birds everywhere. The Hermit Thrush shown above was actually one of the last species I found, rummaging around in my photinia bush. It was being chased out every so often by an American Robin that apparently claimed ownership of said bush and its berries.
They were joined by several other species that enjoyed the cover of the almost tree sized bush. The Spotted Towhees were foraging on the ground for the most part but they would fly up into the bush and adjacent Sapphire Dragon Tree where this one decided to sing for me.
Over at the “feed station” is where most of the action was taking place. There were Western Scrub-Jays yac, yac, yackin as they flew in to disrupt the House Finches at the platform and tube feeders.
Aspects Large Antique Brass Tube Feeder
There were over forty Dark-eyed Juncos foraging under the sunflower seed feeders and making trips to the hanging platform feeder. Occasionally they would sneak some suet from one of the easy to reach suet feeders, stopping to perch on the same branch the Oak Titmouse uses to access the suet block.
One of the male Anna’s Hummingbirds that has stayed here all winter was perched just above these suet eaters, diligently watching this way and that, making sure none of the other hummingbirds around drew nectar out if his feeder.
Right behind all this activity were the American Goldfinches and Lesser Goldfinches vying for the best spots on the thistle feeder.
Notice the difference in the markings of these two species that are just beginning to acquire their spring plumage. The American Goldfinch in the middle of the photo is brownish on the back with a light breast, yellow throat and a solid conspicuous wing bar. It also has a white rump and is larger than the dark rumped Lesser Goldfinches above it.
36 inch Yellow Metal Thistle Feeder
The White-breasted Nuthatches that I’m pretty sure will be breeding here this year, were visiting their two favorite feeders, the upside down suet feeder …
and the ultimate woodpecker feeder which was also being visited by this Nuttall’s Woodpecker.
It was a fun feederwatch day, spotting fourteen species that actually came to the yard in search of food. The most exciting thing for me, and the last bird on my list was a new visitor to my yard.
Brigitte and I have been watching and hearing a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks nearby since last summer but I have yet to find their nest site. This morning we had a visit from one of our local Red-shouldered Hawks and Brigitte got a picture of it through the living room window. It was perched right above one of the sunflower seed feeders. The first Red-shouldered Hawk to perch in our yard! How cool is that?
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Sweet goodness, aren’t you lucky?
Those are all gorgeous.
Wish I could hop on my broomstick and come on over 🙂
.-= Nicole´s last blog ..Blossoms in the desert =-.
Thats quite some activity u have going on in ur backyard!
.-= Nature Magnified´s last blog ..Plain Flowerpecker =-.
Love your yard bird photos Larry! And a Hummingbird in January!
.-= MaineBirder´s last blog ..Long-tailed Ducks =-.
That’s a great lot of yard birds for winter. The Hummingbird would be my favorite.
.-= Mick´s last blog ..Cockatoos =-.
Hi Larry,
wow i’d like to see so many birds at once… Not gonna happen until a while! Well done this is a very nice post with a lot of beautiful pictures
.-= chris´s last blog ..Publication in 2009 =-.
Nice birds and nice photos, Larry! Lots of good stuff! We have no yard where we’re living right now (boo!) so I’m always a little jealous about yardbirds 🙂
.-= Jill´s last blog ..Trinidad and Tobago Day 5 & 6: Beach Time! =-.
Nice collection of yard birds, Larry! The Robin is my favorite.
.-= bob k´s last blog ..Junco which? =-.
Larry, it looks like your yard is filled with great birds. A few of them would be lifers for me. The hummingbird is my favorite.
.-= Eileen´s last blog ..A scenic view of Blackwater NWR =-.
“The first Red-shouldered Hawk to perch in our yard! How cool is that?”
–Very cool – for you and Brigitte! Maybe not so cool for your other visitors. 🙂
.-= Amber Coakley´s last blog ..New Recurring Feature: What I Love About Nature =-.
Colourful Anna’s Hummingbirds showing some attitude! Love that American Robin in the rain.
.-= Tabib´s last blog ..Black-crested Bulbul =-.
@Nicole I am fortunate to have a great collection of yard birds to enjoy all year
@Nature yes, the birds are pretty busy in my backyard and I am able to observe quite a diverse group throughout the year
@John thanks! We have had a few Anna’s Hummingbirds remain here all year and they are a joy to see on a cold winters day
@Mick those hummers sure are colorful when the iridescent colors show
@Chris lucky for me I live in a temperate climate
@Jill I’m sorry to hear that you haven’t a yard at the moment but it is a bit tough to feel sorry for someone who is off on trips to Trinidad and Tobago 😉
@Bob thanks. Glad you like them
@Eileen I still get lifers from my own yard occasionally too, thanks
@Amber ha ha, I don’t think the RSHA is too much of a threat but their were no passerines left in the yard when it perched
@Tabib thanks. Those hummers always seem to have attitude, don’t they?
What a fantastic post for the day! Love all of the beautiful photos! My favorite is the red-shouldered hawk! How wonderful to be able to see so many, so close! Have a great week!
Sylvia
.-= Sylvia Kirkwood´s last blog ..That’s My World — Woodland Park Zoo =-.
What a smorgasbord, Larry. Wow! And I have to admit that we often think of the Rockies being a major line between the species encountered, but only the woodpecker and titmouse would be unusual around these parts (even the hummingbird has become a less-than-rare visitor). I think it’s pretty darn neat to see how widespread these beauties are.
As someone who has a near-obsessive infatuation with raptors, I can only say it’s VERY cool to have the red-shouldered in your yard!
you have so many beautiful birds nearby as it seems. I envy you.
The finches look similar to ours, but the others I´ve never seen.
.-= NatureFooostep Fåglar/Birds´s last blog ..Domherre – Bullfinch, feeding pair =-.
lovely birds, love all the shots
.-= Lindz´s last blog ..Watery Wednesday – Otter at Western Plains Zoo =-.
Nice to see some of the different kinds of birds that you host in your area as compared to the NY ones I have. It is exciting to have a hawk visit. Lucky to catch a photo..Love the little nutty hanging upsidedown as they are one of my favorite feeder birds. I also do PFW…..Michelle
I really loved your pictures of January birds, Larry!!! It is amazing how many species you can observe in the winter. I never realized, until I began keeping a log of all the species I see each month.
January boasted 30 different bird species here in South Carolina. I have a pair of Red-tailed Hawks , but I have not seen a Red-Shouldered. I do have a beautiful Cooper’s Hawk that lands on my fence or tree, looking for a quick meal… no luck for him yet. It is a little freaky watching the birds scatter for cover.