 |
| An unusual perspective on a habitually upside-down bird |
Thanks to the seemingly dozens of feeding stations visible from Ruthie's windows, I kicked off 2013 with fabulous views of 13 kinds of birds (white-breasted nuthatch, red-breasted nuthatch, house finch, black-capped chickadee, dark-eyed junco, house sparrow, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, red-bellied woodpecker, northern cardinal and blue jay) in addition to the crows, pigeons, wild turkeys and hawks I'd seen from the highway.
 |
| A more normal view of one of my favorite birds |
I do love white-breasted nuthatches, as well as their smaller red-breasted cousins. We have both a male and a female very regularly at our peanut feeder at home this year. Last year at about this time I wrote that we had really just started to see the female (assuming it is the same pair), though the male had been a frequent visitor, and that I hoped she'd get more comfortable visiting our feeders. It seems she has.
 |
| Female white-breasted nuthatch (Jan. 2011) |
I have some more recent photos of the female, but none I like as well as this shot of her soaking up some rays, or maybe just resting and conserving energy, on a very cold but sunny day last January.
This year, may you have interesting encounters with natural places and wild beings. Notice what you see. And, if you like, show someone, or tell someone about it (me, if you like -- in comments here, or email me at penelopedia @ gmail . com. I would love to hear your stories.)
“Many eyes go through the meadow, but few see the flowers in it.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
6 comments:
So nice that you spent some time with Ruth,her pup and the birds! Happy New Year to you and yours...may your year be filled with Love, Laughter, good health and lots of Nature!
Thank you Dawn! Same to you. Let us know next time you're coming this way.
We LOVE your blog. The photos and stories are fabulous. We're down in Rochester, just outside of town, and currently don't have any bird feeders up because the deer knock them down and stomp on them to get the seeds out. We had feeders in town and I miss the birds! Any suggestions on feeders the deer might leave alone? Or different kinds of feeders that would be easy to hang really high? I noticed you have a peanut feeder. I've never heard of that before; how does it work? Feel free to respond just to me - no need to post this in the comments unless you want :)
Thank you so much. What a nice note! Ruthie, who I was visiting on Tuesday, lives in Rochester and I'm sure she could be a great help. We don't get deer in our yard, so I haven't had to cope. If you like, email me at penelopedia @ gmail . com? Then I can reply directly.
Will do!
Hey Penny, you got some nice shots of the nuthatch! I love those little birds! A lot of times if he gets a seed out of that ball feeder, he will stick it between the spindle & railing on the deck. It's so much fun to watch them close up like that.
For LB, we also have deer in our backyard, but they usually only come at night. I fill 2 ground feeder trays with shelled corn for them and they generally leave the birdfeeders alone then.
Post a Comment