Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Spring Backyard Birds


Recently, I featured our Woodpeckers. Today, I'm featuring some of our other backyard birds. These little guys are such JOY to me.. Since my feeders are on our deck, I can sit inside and watch the birds coming and going all day long!!!! Above is the 'other' redbird ---well sorta!!!! He's a male House Finch. Isn't he pretty? Below are more!



We have LOTS of Brown Thrashers --and they love the suet feeder. They come OFTEN all during the day. This is one of the best pictures I have been able to get of a Brown Thrasher. Look at the red above his eye and the hair under his beak!



Daddy Bluebird has been coming to the feeders quite a bit lately. The Misses must be sitting on the eggs since I haven't seen her. I love the Bluebirds even though they are not using our nestbox yet this year. I can't wait 'til the fledglings get here and visit the feeders.



Our Mourning Doves love to come to the deck and clean the floor for me. Wish they'd come in and mop the kitchen and vacuum our floors!!!!! Geeesh!



Daddy Cardinal is in love now. He brings his Sweetheart to the feeders and then he feeds her. Isn't that sweet????? I can't wait 'til they have their babies since the Daddy always brings the fledglings to the feeders and teaches them to eat. The little ones sound like little tinkly bells as they shake all over when Daddy helps them. TOO CUTE!!!




This is Daddy Cardinal's Sweetheart... Do you notice something strange about her? Somehow, she has lost her tail.. I don't want to think what could have happened. BUT--her man still loves her so that is good! She doesn't seem to have any trouble getting around though. I think that she may be sitting on some eggs the past couple of days since she hasn't been to the feeder. Daddy comes and I think he's taking food back to her. Awe--ain't love great????

Thank You for asking about my bad knee. I did find out (through the X-rays) that I do not have a chip or break in any of the bones, and I do NOT have arthritis. The pain is still with me --but my doctor wants me to wait a week or two while taking these pain pills to see if the pain will just miraculously disappear... I can only hope that that will happen!!! So far, it's still with me! The next step is an MRI if necessary. Thanks Again!

Hugs,

56 comments:

amelia said...

As always, your birds are beautiful. I so wish we had cardinals but we don't so no point in wishing!!

Anonymous said...

I have lots of cardinals in my yard and doves. Since the cardinal is our state bird I guess there are a lot of them here. Betsy, my Bob's knee started hurting him about two years ago and nearly drove him crazy for a while. He took pain pills and they could find nothing wrong. He kept walking on it but could not go up steps because that seemed to make it worse. Eventually, it got o.k. and has never bothered him again. They did tell him to keep using it as much as he could during that time and he did. They told him not to push a lawnmower, too. Hope yours gets better.

Arkansas Patti said...

My house finches just fledged and mercy did they leave a mess. They would make a rock star proud.
Guess you knee is good and bad news but I hate the ole wait and see diagnosis.
Hope you are jig worthy soon.

Jayne said...

Love seeing all your backyard visitors Betsy. :c) Hope your knee feels better soon. Are you taking any anti-inflammatory? A little Motrin can sometimes do the trick.

penny said...

Beautiful photos of your backyard visitors, Betsy. You and the birds are so lucky to have one another...they get a free meal and you get to enjoy their beauty ;)

Thoughtfully Blended Hearts said...

Hoping that your pain will just disappear!!! Love these bird photos...but right now I'm angry with my birds...they're eating most of my ripe strawberries!!! I don't mind sharing but geezee...

Jo said...

Oh Betsy;) I've looked for posts from you. What have I missed? I'm so sorry you've been in pain. I hope and pray it will soon be a thing of the past. What BEAUTIFUL bird images. Wow! THanks for sharing. Bless you my friend. (((Hugs))) Jo

Catherine said...

Such colorful birds! Our finch are in full force here. The bright yellow ones and the purple ones just bring life to my garden ~ love it!

I'm glad Mr. Cardinal still loves Ms. Cardinal even though she is missing her tail ~ and as it should be! :)

So sorry your knee is not doing better and they don't know what is causing it. It's so frustrating not feeling 100% ~ but I guess it makes us doubly appreciate when we do feel good! Health ~ the most important thing indeed!

Hope you are having a most lovely week Betsy!
xo Catherine

Connie said...

Such great shots, Betsy! The one of the Brown Thrasher is amazing. :-)

Ginny Hartzler said...

Thanks for the update on your knee, I just knew it wasn't arthritis. Knees are funny, you can have lots of pain, and it will go away after a couple weeks. I will pray this is the case for you. I'm glad the cardinal can still function well even without her tail. I wonder if there's anything she can't do? But the mourning dove. Although we have lots here, you got a great picture of the eye, and I'm noticing the blue around it. Is that part of the eye, or around the outside?

diane b said...

They all are so sweet especially the red ones. Although Mr Blue bird is pretty handsome too.

Randy said...

I'm so jealoust of your Bluebird. They check out our boxes every year but never move in...-- Randy

Judy said...

Hi Betsy,
I enjoyed catching up here. I loved seeing the waves post. Made me want to head back to Florida. I'm sorry to hear about your knee. I hope the pain does miraculously disappear for you. It can't be fun for you. You are very active and I'm sure it's slowing you down some.
Take care,
Judy

Busy Bee Suz said...

These are all so pretty! I really like the eyes on the brown thrasher.
I hope the pain does miraculously go away!!!

Susie said...

I wonder what happened to Mrs. Redbird's tail!??! Glad daddy still loves her.

We now have 5 blue bird eggs and momma is sitting on them regularly.

Glad you don't have a break in your knee.

Ruth's Photo Blog said...

You have such beautiful bird shots.i especially like the Brown Thrasher portrait,it shows each little detail.Enjoy those birds from a comfortable chair and give that knee a rest.
Hugs,Ruth

Rose said...

Betsy, I was hoping I would hear you say that the pain was easing off. I still pray that it is something not serious...

BTW, I love your bird shots...that brown thrasher one is amazing.

Anonymous said...

These are some nice-looking birds. I have not seen many here yet.

Roses and Lilacs said...

Good morning, Betsy. One of my favorite topics, birds:) Your bluebird is so pretty.

Last year I hurt my shoulder--reaching to the backseat of the car of all things. Anyway, it took forever to stop hurting. As we age we just don't bounce back like we did in our 30's.
Marnie

DeniseinVA said...

These are a lovely collection of bird photos Betsy. You get several that I don't, but I'm very happy to see the Cardinals and Finches at my feeders. The Doves stop buy to get whatever the others have tossed to the floor. Have a good one Betsy, hope that pain in the knee disappears soon.

Sunny said...

Your bird pictures are always delightful.
Hope you get some relief with your knee.
☼ Sunny

Anonymous said...

I'm so sorry about your knee, Betsy - I hope the pain DOES miraculously go away so you don't have to endure an MRI! Yuck!
I LOVE THE CARDINAL stories - Daddy Cardinals really ARE the sweetest - Mom was just tellin me she saw a male do the same thing the other day at their feeders - I just love Cardinals!

And that's an excellent shot of the Brown Thrasher - so clear!!!

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Betsy: What a neat group of birds. I saw some new ones in Mexico.

Karin said...

The variety of birds around your place is totally amazing! Such beautiful photos!Just a point of interest -- When I was young we were always told not to feed the birds in spring and summer so they don't become lazy and there is an abundance of insects to eat; just feed them in the fall and winter because then food is scarce. Your birds are at your feeders year round!

Love all your photos!

Glad for the good news about your knee, but it sure would be nice if they could find out what is causing this problem and be able to fix it. Hugs!!

Diane said...

I think it will disappear, Betsy.

The birds are beautiful, we have the little house finches around here, too. I think of them as my "cardinals".

Hope you're day's blessed. Diane

Darla said...

We have the same visitors here. Hope the pain meds work Betsy, positive thinking!

Brenda Kay Ledford said...

Betsy,
Wow! I sure love your photos of the birds. They are magnificent. Mama looked at your blog and she loves the bird photos, too. You are an excellent photographer and so fortunate to just sit in the house and watch the birds at your feeder.

Love Of Quilts said...

Betsy I sure hope the pain goes away and they find out what the problem is....it sounds like you have a prefect setup to enjoy your birds...but best of all is that we get to enjoy them to....my floors are just waiting on me to...sure would be nice to have a a house keeper wouldn't it.Praying for you. Trish

Small City Scenes said...

Love your bird shots, Betsy. I do wish we had Cardinals out here but not to be. We do have many other amazings birds though.

Let's all chant 'Pain Pain go away' There did that do the trick? Good luck there!

MB

Joy said...

Since you have a birdie friend to clean up outside you need to get a dog to clean the floors inside. Our dog doesn't let a crumb stay for long.
Sorry to hear you knee is causing you problems> I'll say a prayer for you.
You have the best up close pictures. I'm always amazed at the shots you get of these beautiful creatures.
♥ Joy

imac said...

Great shots Betsy, I like the 2nd shot best.

Tipper said...

Love the birds-and I'm hoping the pain does indeed just disappear :)

D said...

Betsy, luv the backyard birds! and I'm a bit jealous of the bluebird at your feeder, but hopeful that one day two will come. Finally I saw a pair of Mourning Doves in the garden... seems late arrival on their part.

Take care of that knee Betsy.

DIGITAL WORLD PAGES ARCHIVE said...

Good evening!
Wonderful!

MadSnapper said...

the blue bird is so pretty. I love mourning doves. there sound is worht a thousand bucks. I like to sit in our yard and her them coo at each other. sometimes they sit on the powerlines and coo and coo. you must have an amazing bird population of every kind.

Ms. Bake-it said...

Fabulous birds photos! I especially love the Cardinals and bluebird. Two of my favorite birds!

~ Tracy

Sey said...

I like the bluebird. I wish I could see those kind of birds too. There maybe some other species of birds here which unfortunately can only be seen in the countryside and not in the city.

Thanks for sharing the wonderful pictures.

Diane AZ said...

Hi, I like the pretty yellow eyes on the brown thrasher. And oh my, Mrs. Cardinal looks a little different without her tail feathers, but I'm glad to hear she's doing okay without them. Take care of your knee. :)

Betsy Brock said...

Oh my.....we don't have thrashers! Isn't he cute! Love the whiskers under his beak!

A Brit in Tennessee said...

All of your visitors are lovely, they each have their own personalities and it shows...
I have to confess, the Bluebird makes my heart flutter, it is most similiar to the English Robin, my favorite little bird from home.
I get lots of birds at the feeders, but never have the camera close by, you do remarkably well with that.
Hope your knee is getting a little easier !
Hugs,
Jo

Mary Isabella and Kiley too! said...

PPraying for you to feel better soon,,,,,m

LV said...

There is no doubt you live in a bird paradise. That blue bird just about blew my bird. Stunning!

Leedra said...

Great Brown Thrasher photo.

Glenda said...

Such great pics! The brown thrasher is my favorite; it's so clear and sharp. You really do have a good camera - and a knack for getting just the right shots!

Hope the knee pain is soon gone!

The Retired One said...

Wow,Betsy, that Brown Thrasher is gorgeous and your photo so clear of him! And those Cardinals??? (Sigh!) to die for!

Anonymous said...

You are a magician with the camera! Such lovely bird photographs! Those are sweet birds for certain! Nice post today as always!

carolina nana said...

That is great news about your knee. Maybe you just stepped wrong,I've done that and not realized it until I sit for a while and then try to get up,yow!!
Knee pain is bad especially when you like to walk as much as you. Blessings to you Marilyn

Reanaclaire said...

what beautiful cute birds.. the photographer really takes time and effort to capture those shots!

Self Sagacity said...

I found you from Squirrel Queen's blog. I don't see much Daddy Blue Bird around the Bay Area. Our native bird is Humming Bird.

SquirrelQueen said...

You do have some of the prettiest little visitors to your feeders. That is a fantastic shot of the Brown Thrasher, the detail on his eye is amazing.

I remember last year when daddy cardinal brought the little one to the feeder, I'm looking forward to seeing that again.

I hope you knee gets better soon, hopefully it will heal itself. The 'wait and see' thing can be annoying however.

Dar said...

Betsy, Aren't the birds colors brilliant at this time of the year. I just love how you are working that camera...you and George have a great weekend taking strolls and pictures for us all to enjoy.
BlessYourHearts.

Pat Tillett said...

Hi Betsy, I appreciated your comment about my photo at the Joan's contest. I also like your photos a great deal. Also, your knowledge of the all the birds. If you don't mind, I'm going to tag along.
thanks!
patricktillett.blogspot.com

Julie said...

Hopefully you just pulled a ligament or something (in your knee). I am praying the pain goes awy soon...like right this minute!!! :)

Love your birds...I agree that the dove may as well come inside and help you out a little more.....

Janie said...

Your birds are beautiful. Poor tailless mama cardinal. I'm glad she's found true love. I'm looking forward to seeing the babies.

Esme said...

Thank you for your kind words.

Valerie said...

The dove and the thrasher are my favorites. So sorry to hear about your knee trouble. I hope it heals well and you don't have much difficulty with it. Nothing like having to limb around! I still struggle a bit with my leg where the cellulitis was.

In fact I was wearing capri pants at work this week and his my leg on a music stand and cut myself right below where the infection was. I couldn't get to the nurses office fast enough to wash it out and put some antibiotic ointment on it - I am so afraid of that infection coming back!