Friday, January 11, 2013

Lovin' the Birds

One of the things I received for Christmas was a wonderful squirrel-proof bird feeder.  I have wanted to put a feeder outside our family room window for a while now and this one is perfect.  It has two spring activated perches so when a squirrel or large bird steps on it a metal shield drops down shutting off the seed supply.  You can even adjust the weight settings for different sized birds.  It took a few days for the birds to find their way, but once they did we have had quite a variety of species.

 
To my delight the Northern Cardinals have come to visit.  Here we have the female dining on some fallen seed.


A bird does not sing because it has an answer.
It sings because it has a song.


A male watching her from afar.


This little Chipping Sparrow almost seemed to get away.  Just because a bird passes you by doesn't mean you lose the shot.  Some lovely things can happen when you take photos of birds from behind!


Black-cap chickadees and blue jays have been by to say hello.  I can't wait to see who shows up next.  Come springtime I will be enjoying the robins and finches!


Today I am joining ...

 Camera Critters @ Bluff Area Daily
Let's Get Social Sunday with Evelyn & Jamie
Macro Monday @ Lisa's Chaos
Mosaic Monday @ Little Red House
Home Party @ Rose Chintz Cottage
NF Winged on Thursday @ NatureFootstep meme
Share Your Cup Thursday @ Have a daily cup from Mrs. Olson
Thursday Favorite Things @ Katherine's Corner
Open House Party @ Bernideen's Tea Time
Friendship Friday @ Create With Joy

50 comments:

Cheryl said...

Thank you for sharing your photos. I have several feeders outside my window and really enjoy watching the birds.

Sylvia said...

So many pretty birds, I enjoyed the show. That's what I need, I stopped feeding them because the squirrals would eat all the seed before the birds.

Bernideen said...

I never tire of bird photos and especially in the winter! I hope you are linking/posting at "Open House"!

Unknown said...

Amazing photos! My grandmother loved cardinals and your pictures brought back wonderful memories of her, Thank you for sharing!

Ann Jones said...

Beautiful photos! We get cardinals around here and I love them, they are such pretty birds.

Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie said...

Beautiful photos of your feathered friends, Donna! The cardinals are just wonderful! We don't have them here and to see them up close is a real treat. Even the little sparrow is so pretty captured by your lens. Happy bird watching! xx

Chris said...

Cool pictures of birds! They are fun to watch! Love your Christmas gift!

Connie B. said...

Love your bird pictures. So pretty. Is there such a thing as a "squirrel proof" feeder? We have tried several kinds and those "little guys" are quite clever. Some are even aerialists. Good luck and happy bird watching...

Dee ⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️ said...

It's a great looking bird feeder. I love the bird pictures.

KarinsArtScrap said...

wow they look awesome Donna.

greetings karin

Athena at Minervas Garden said...

Your bird pictures are great--it must have taken quite a while to get them, because birds move fast! I love feeding the birds, too, and we've got black-capped chickadees now and scrub jays mostly, plus a couple of hummingbirds that are wintering over here. As far as mustard greens go, they are a little spicy when they are young leaves, and a lot spicy as they grow and mature. They are good, but in my garden they reseed rampantly if I let them go to seed.

Grandma Barb's This and That said...

Love the cardinals, Donna. I got a new feed too and just got it up the other day. So far the birds haven't found it. I hope they do soon.

Terry said...

Cool new bird feeder! I love your photos of the birds. Wish we had cardinals! We get the chickadees, robins, Stellar jays, etc. My son always makes sure they have food over the winter. I remember when he was only 5. He was wearing his pajamas, put on his coat, grabbed two handfulls of bird seed and sat in our backyard on a kid-sized bench. He emptied one hand of seed on the bench next to where he sat, and opened his hand and held it up for the birds to come eat. It was 6:30 in the morning and he sat out there, waiting patiently, just to feed the birds. He still loves birds at 13. :-)

Liz@ HomeandGardeningWithLiz said...

Those are such smart bird feeders! I gave one to my dad many years ago but I think the newer ones are better! Your pictures of the birds are lovely! Cardinals are so beautiful! That's one of the things I'm grateful for in my yard is all the good birding we get here! The word will get out and you'll have lots more!

must love junk said...

Wow, what stunning photos! Beautiful job :)
Susan

mail4rosey said...

I enjoy our bird feeder too and I Love the idea of a drop door to block when the squirrels are trying to get in there!

Becky said...

What gorgeous photos Donna.

Rosemary said...

Love the feeder but even more the wonderful photos you took.

Kerri Farley said...

So pretty!

Ellen Whyte said...

Wow don't they look lovely? And are you feeding the squirrels separately?

Victoria said...

Such gorgeous souls..beautiful shots..spectacular!
Visiting from Lisa's/macro monday
Victoria

Lisa Gordon said...

I have one of these, but the squirrels still seem to get to it! :-) Guess it bothers my husband more than I though.

Your cardinal photographs are just beautiful, Donna. I just love those birds.

Happy Monday to you!
xo.

Diana Taylor said...

What beautiful photos and such stunning birds - I love the bright red cardinal.

Anonymous said...

Imagine the hours of pleasure you'll receive from that Christmas gift!

Bettey said...

Gorgeous! Great colors!

susanwalkergirl said...

Dear Donna,

Oh my...I love your photos of the birds. I've never seen a cardinal in person. What beautiful creatures God has created.

Thank you for sharing!

Susan

Crystal said...

Beautiful photos. :-)

Anonymous said...

What wonderful captures! I always love when I have cardinals visit. They are so cheerful in the winter.

Cheryl said...

Hi Donna, Your pictures are gorgeous ( as always)! What a wonderful sight to see.

Unknown said...

Beautiful bird photos!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your sweet comment on my blog - please join me if you haven't done it yet - and check back each week. --- I decided to check your blog and my goodness - the pictures of your birds is awesome! I can't believe you were able to get that close to them to take such beautiful pictures.

Geneva said...

I've been admiring that same bird feeder for years... it looks like it will last a lifetime. I love all your photographs...(as usual) You're so lucky to see those beautiful birds from your family room window.
Blessings!
Geneva

Mary Howell Cromer said...

Of course I adore the Cardinals, they are our state bird, and Sparrows confuse me. The little Chipping Sparrow is darling and I do not know if we have them or not~

eileeninmd said...

Nice feeder! And I love your Cardinals and the cute Chipping Sparrow. Thanks for sharing your WBW!

Pat Hatt said...

Great shots and they sure look to be enjoying their meal.

Les Fous du Cap said...

Very beautiful pictures ;-)
Céline & Philippe

Unknown said...

Hi Donna,
What beautiful photo's...the birds in our backyard are such a delight to watch. Life is so wonderful when the birds are out and about!
Enjoy..

Debra at HOMESPUN: http://www.thehomespun.com said...

Wonderful Beautiful Shots! :)

Unknown said...

Wow! It is great that you are able to see all those beautiful birds Donna! Great shots! I am a big bird enthusiast. Oh, how I wish I could see the cardinals over here in Jamaica. Have a great Thursday.

Jill said...

Cardinals are beautiful, we get them from time to time too.

Judy said...

Wow!! I love the close-up of the cardinal!! You really got the details of her feathers!!

Katherines Corner said...

Beautiful photos! Thank you for sharing at the hop xo

NatureFootstep said...

I´m glad you feed them. :) And that you enjoy them.

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

Hello Donna,
I love the birdies! The bird feeder sounds like a wonderful solution to keeping the little pests away.
Hubby and I watch the birds all the time and now that our son is in Wildlife Conservation he can give us some very interesting info on our little feathered friends. Thank you for sharing this at my HOME. Your photos are wonderful!

Blessings,
Sandi

Gemma Wiseman said...

So love this collection of winged characters! The macro of the male cardinal touched with snow is especially delightful!

Linda (More Fun Less Laundry) said...

Hi Donna, Your bird photos are excellent! I also enjoy watching the birds at my feeder. We have two pairs of cardinals and downy and red bellied woodpeckers which I'm trying to get shots of. I'm visiting from the Home party. Linda

Anne Payne said...

wow! these are really gorgeous photos and the birds are pretty awesome too :)

Stewart M said...

Hi there - what great garden birds.

Thanks for linking to WBW.

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne.

PS: sorry for slow reply - I've been out of internet range in Tasmania

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson said...

Oh Donna, these birds are so much fun. Love the cardinals! I really need to put a feeder out because I love watching the birds.
Thanks for sharing with Share Your Cup.
hugs,
Jann

Faith said...

Thank you for stopping at my place, yours is beautiful and serene, and lovely pictures.