Some Familiar Faces And Some New Arrivals At The Backyard Feeders

It was a sunny  morning today , and, as I often do before work, I was watching the birds at my feeders.  There was a lot of activity so I decided to take and share  some photographs of my feathered friends. The usual year long residents were there including the woodpeckers at the suet. I think this is a hairy woodpecker but I have a hard time telling them apart from the downy woodpecker. Whichever species it is, I enjoy the rapping sounds they make as they search for insects under the tree bark in my woods. 

And so where the nuthatches, swooping down on the feeder, snatching a sunflower seed, then flying off to enjoy it before swooping back for another. 

The northern juncos winter in my area and usually head further north in the summer but they are still here in my yard. They usually feed on the ground but i found this guy perched in a tree. 

There were also the usual mourning doves, blue jays,  tufted titmice and  sparrows, including what I think is a chipping sparrow.

And there were some new faces too. Although I see an occasional house finch at my feeder in the Winter they show  up in greater numbers in the Spring. And I had quite a few at the feeders this morning including this pair. 

My thistle feeder fell down in the Winter and I just replaced it on Sunday and it already attracted one of my favorite Springtime visitors, the goldfinch. I love this bright yellow birds, although only the male of the species has the brilliant yellow color. 

And another warm weather returnee are  the brown headed cowbirds. I usually have one pair show up each Spring and that is enough for me. These birds do not build a nest of their own. They  lay their eggs in other birds nest, letting them raise their offspring.  Many times the larger cowbird destroys the other  young birds in the nest.  I am sure, if  these other birds, seen here sharing the feeder, knew the danger this birds were to the offspring. they wouldn’t be so friendly toward them.

There were no turkey or robins in my yard this morning. I usually have plenty of both which add to my enjoyment over my morning cup of coffee. i could spend hours watching them.

After work I took a short walk with my camera  in some woods  near my house hoping to see some more birds but it turned windy and only saw a few robins and this crow flying overhead. 

And these, probably heading to some of the ponds near my house.

I returned home to spend some more time watching the birds at my feeder. i am hoping they will be joined by more of the song birds which should be arriving in the next few weeks to feed on the blooming flowers and insects they attract. Here is a link to some more of the birds I saw today . .https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-page-2/nggallery/photographs-page-two-blog/backyard-birds-march-30-2016

“Feeding birds means feeding yourself! Birds are part of nature and feeding nature is nothing but feeding yourself!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan