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...

Friday, November 22, 2013

I am THANKFUL for... (Continued from Nov. 20)

BABY EASTERN BLUEBIRDS  (begging for food)
On Wednesday (Nov. 20),  I listed many of the things I am thankful for --during this year of 2013 SO FAR....  If you missed that post,  be sure and check it out.  Just click HERE.

BUT--as I mentioned on Wednesday,  I left out one very important category,  my FAVORITE BIRDS...  Thanks to friend, Cheryl, for guessing what the theme of this blog post would be.  She knows me TOO well... ha ha ... Check out Cheryl's blog by clicking HERE.   I couldn't just choose one photo to feature on Wednesday---so I decided to feature my favorite 2013 Bird Photos in their own blog post.  I got to see some new birds in 2013---which always make me very very happy and THANKFUL!

Hope you enjoy seeing photos of my favorite 2013 BIRDS.   Be sure to click on the photos for enlargements.


DADDY EASTERN BLUEBIRD feeding one of the babies



BABY NORTHERN CARDINAL (Isn't he adorable?)



BEAUTIFUL DADDY NORTHERN CARDINAL



BROWN THRASHER



ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK  (migrates through here Spring and Fall)



AMERICAN ROBIN  (only comes to the feeders  during a snowy winter day)



DARK-EYED JUNCO  (only comes to the feeders when it snows)



PURPLE FINCH
I was excited to see these birds at the feeders.  We have had House Finches (which are similar) --but this is the first time I have seen Purple Finches here.  (I had seen them in Arkansas --but not here.)




INDIGO BUNTINGS
I was excited to see these beautiful birds in the yard --but I only saw them once,  and they never came to the feeders... However,  this was a 'life' bird for me --first time to see them and get photos!!!!




ROADRUNNER  (at Mt. Nebo, Arkansas)
This was another 'life' bird for me --but it wasn't found in my backyard.  We saw this beauty when we visited Mt. Nebo, Arkansas in February.   I was SO excited to see this gorgeous bird...




CROSSBILL
Here's another 'life' bird for me this year.  This beauty visited our feeders.  The Crossbill gets his name because his upper and lower bills 'cross' over each other.... Neat, huh?





PILEATED WOODPECKER
I feature this woodpecker alot during the year.  They are so much fun to watch --as they try to find various ways to get to the suet!!!!!!  Amazing Birds!!!




BLUE JAY  (they LOVE peanuts)



JUVENILE RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Many of our birds have nests in the area during Spring/Summer.  One of the prettiest 'baby' birds is the Juvie Red-Headed Woodpecker.... He looks very different from his Daddy (listed below),  doesn't he??????




RED-HEADED WOODPECKER  (an all-time favorite bird of mine)
Finally,  this may be my favorite Bird Photo from 2013.  I love Red-Headed Woodpeckers and this photo (with a peanut in  his mouth)  has been a favorite this year.

WELL---that's my favorite BIRD PHOTOS for 2013... Hope you enjoyed seeing the photos.  I love my Backyard Birds --and am so THANKFUL for all of these little cuties!!!

I am taking   TWO WEEKS off to enjoy Thanksgiving with family.   I have several other projects I need to work on also..... I hope that each of you will have a wonderful THANKSGIVING and upcoming two weeks.  I will see you again on Dec. 9.

Hugs,

70 comments:

Ercotravels said...

Sounds, I m first...great varieties of the birds!!! looking so colorful and pretty..such beautiful captures....

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Hi Betty. Have a great Thanksgiving and a rest. I will miss your posts and lovely comments. How this was a wonderful post of fantastic birds which have all been wonderfully photographed.God bless

Ginny Hartzler said...

This is maybe my favorite posts of yours, a big WOW one for sure!!!! Of course my favorites are the first two! But I am so jealous that you saw a roadrunner, totally COOL!!! Always makes me think of the cartoons, BEEP BEEP. I've never seen a baby cardinal,and brown thrashers are so shy and they hide, I have only ever seen one once one the edge of a woods. LOVE the indiogos, I have seen only one a long time ago, a bird to never forget.

Ms. A said...

First of all, I'd like to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Betsy, I have enjoyed your birds SO MUCH, I just went out and bought two feeders. Now I'm going to cross my fingers and hope I see something other than the usual.

Anonymous said...

Enjoyed your birds collection. Blue bird feeding it's young one looks awesome.

eileeninmd said...

Betsy, what a wonderful collection of birds. I enjoyed the photos. Have a happy weekend!

Our photos said...

What a lovely birds photos, Betsy!

Peaches McGinty said...

Hi Betsy!
I should have guessed it would be birds!! I have never seen a roadrunner before (the cartoon is my only reference!!) so I'm happy to see a real one!! and the Beautiful Daddy is rightly named, absolutely gorgeous bird!
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!! I look forward to your return x x x

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

Your love of birds reminds me of my grandfather. I used to sit in a chair by him while we looked through a bird guidebook, and he told me about all the different birds. Love your pictures!

linda m said...

i agree, the Red-Headed Woodpecker is my favorite bird also. All the bird pictures you posted today are fantastic. You really do take great pictures. Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your two week break. May God bless you.

Anonymous said...

Amazing photos, Betsy. God bless you and yours. Have a nice Thanksgiving.

I Am Woody said...

Indigo Buntings are beautiful birds! I once saw a Painted Bunting while we were living on Amelia Island. It was amazing!

PS - The photo in your header is gorgeous!!

Donna said...

Oh, I'd love to see a roadrunner in person! Beep, beep! hahaha......

Happy Thanksgiving!

Busy Bee Suz said...

They are all so beautiful….so sweet. I would probably fall over if I saw one of those indigo buntings in person; magical. Still, the cardinals are always my favorite. Lucky for me, I get to see a lot of them at my feeders; they are so perky too!

Arkansas Patti said...

Your favorites are just beautiful. I always am surprised how the juveniles always appear to be bigger than the adults. Must be in the feathers.
I never saw a Roadrunner till I came to Ar.
Neat looking, fast moving birds. I have one who visits my yard regularly. I did have to quit feeding birds except during snows for the RR was killing the birds that came to visit. I love the RR, just don't want to watch him eat.

MadSnapper said...

enjoy your two weeks off and all the photos are amazing and i know these birds are thankful for you and the buffet you keep out for them.

Jim and Sandie said...

I, too, am very thankful for your gorgeous birds. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and eat lots of good food, laugh and love.

Connie said...

Wonderful collection of bird photos,
Betsy! You see so many there that we don't have here. They are beautiful! Wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving!

David said...

Betsy, Great bird photos! It takes patience and a good camera to get shots like these. We like the woodpeckers and my wife's favorites are the hummingbirds. She rescued one once that ran into our sliding glass window when fighting with another hummingbird. She held it and stroked it until it regained consciousness/came to its senses, then it perched on her hand for a moment before flying off for another battle! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

The Furry Gnome said...

You have some beautiful bird pictures here, and some that we rarely see. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and a good break.

Jeanne said...

I love these pictures! I am thankful too for your birds and for you sharing these amazing pictures!
Happy Thanksgiving!

Big Dude said...

Great shots Betsy, especially of the young ones. Reminds me I need to get my feeders going.

Mary said...

You get so many neat birds. I love the baby bluebirds!

Anonymous said...

Hi Betsy, Well… my favorites are as you guessed, the Red-headed Woodpeckers. Excellent shots of the adult and that juvenile. So happy you have Grosbeaks and Buntings (I have never seen any). Have a fine weekend!

Kay said...

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones, Betsy! I am so in awe of all the beautiful birds you were able to capture. The colors are awesome. I saw my first bluebird in Yellowstone a couple years ago and was really amazed at the color.

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

These are all so good. I can see why they are favorites. That little cardinal is so cute, and the little thrasher, too. Oh, there are too many to itemize. They're all great.

You have a wonderful Thanksgiving, my friend.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Gorgeous pictures. Seeing some of these birds,already makes me long for spring,when the birds will be coming back. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

happyone said...

Wonderful, wonderful pictures of the birds. Love ALL of them.

Latane Barton said...

I love to see the birds with the peanuts. Sometimes those peanuts are nearly as big as the bird.

Roberta said...

Hi Betsy, your photos are very very beautiful!!! I really don't know which one choose as the best picture... It's a pleasure see those many birds,I've never had the chanche to see too many birds so closer!!
Hugs,
Roberta

Roberta said...

Happy Thanksgiving to you!!!
Roberta

Ann said...

That's quite a bounty of birds to be thankful for :) They are all fabulous shots but I think my favorite of them all is the one of the brown thrasher

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Happy Thanksgiving to you and George- I hope you have a wonderful week!

Linda G. said...

I always enjoy looking at your bird pictures. I'll be uploading an album of my favorite bird photographs on my Linda Gross Photography website later this weekend.

Shug said...

The little feathered friends are so entertaining and GORGEOUS! Such a huge array of colors too..
love you new header....
enjoy a cool weekend....stay warm!
shug

Serenity Cove said...

Always enjoy seeing your birds!
Hope you and George have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Sharon said...

Enjoy your break! Happy Thanksgiving to both of you.

Neal said...

Very, very nice. I think my favorite is the bluebird picture. I've always loved them (plus wrens).

l'alternativa said...

Che spettacolo!!!!!!!!!! Bellissimi questi uccellini variopinti, non c'è che dire...la natura ci può solo incantare. Buona domenica
Emi

Cheryl @ TFD said...

Aha! I knew it!!! Because I know you love birds as much as I do! These are all fabulous shots, Betsy, and I think my favorite would be the bluebirds. You know how I love them. Also at the top of my favorites list would be the red-headed woodpecker and the cardinals. I love seeing that flash of red in the dreary, cold months or any season, for that matter.

Thanks for the shout out! Have a safe and wonderful 2 week blogging holiday. Happy Thanksgiving to you and George!

troutbirder said...

Great collection. Your very lucky to have such a beautiful variety....:)

Susie Swanson said...

Awesome photos. hope you have a nice Thanksgiving !!Hugs and much love, xo

Sally Wessely said...

Wonderful, simply wonderful. I loved every photo, but that top one really is special. The cute little baby eastern bluebirds are just adorable. You caught such a cute look on their faces. I love it.

Joy said...

So that is why I dont have birds here. You have them all:) just joking:)

Dr. Kathy McCoy said...

Have a lovely Thanksgiving, Betsy, and will look forward to seeing your posts after December 9. I may be reading/posting less , however, for the next six weeks -- I'm telling you this just in case you miss my early December post saying this -- but I have a very tight book deadline over the holidays. My "Therapy Cats" book sold recently -- with only two completed chapters in the proposal -- and the publisher wants the finished manuscript in by mid-January. So it is going to be a very quiet, intense Christmas holiday time for me! I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season!

Beatriz said...

Your birds are unforgettable!
Every time I come here, I come across these lovely little creatures.... They're so many in your garden, how come???
You're a lucky person, for sure!!!

Have a great sunday Betsy!

Bia

www.biaviagemambiental.blogspot.com

Small Kucing said...

I love your birds pic. They makes me feel ♥.

Hopping iver to cherly's now

Catherine said...

I am thankful that you are showing me so many pretty birds my friend! Lovely!
Enjoy your blog break and spending time with your family at Thanksgiving dear Betsy!
Sending much love!
xo Catherine

diane b said...

You have so many different birds in your backyard. I love he bright red cardinal.Enjoy Thanksgiving.

diane b said...

You have so many different birds in your backyard. I love he bright red cardinal.Enjoy Thanksgiving.

Unknown said...

Beautiful set of your cute birds..

Grandma Bonnie said...

I love all your birds. It is something to be truly thankful for. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy your break.

Betty Manousos said...

dear betsy,

how wonderful to be surrounded by so much beauty!
your fab pictures are always interesting to admire!

have a very happy thanksgiving!

big hugs!
xoxo

Anonymous said...

Enjoy Thanksgiving. Thank you for these gorgeous shots.

Marie said...

You have such beautiful birds visiting you! My Blue Jays and squirrels share the peanuts,they don't last long. :)
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
hugs,
Marie

warriormom said...

Happy Thanksgiving! I love your list of birds! Around here the Pileated Woodpeckers don't come near the feeders and I have NEVER seen a Red Headed Woodpecker. I love your pics of the juvenile and the male. Wow!! I just found you through At The Water. I'll have to visit again.

SquirrelQueen said...

I always love seeing your little birds Betsy, you have such a variety. My favorite of this group is the first one with those adorable baby bluebirds.

Wishing you and George a very Happy Thanksgiving.

DeniseinVA said...

Lovely birds Betsy! Wishing you and George a very Happy Thanksgiving :)

Elizabeth Edwards said...

Happy Thanksgiving to you my friend!! you have a great day. big big hugs. ( :

Kelly said...

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Betsy!
hugs, Kelly

Beatriz said...

Here again to admire these big little birds...
The second photo is gorgeous!!!!

A big hug Betsy!

Bia

Jazzmin said...

Such incredible beauty! I am happy to get the time to catch up on reading your posts today. I love to see God's attention to detail in His creations, and I think all of the beautiful birds are the perfect example of that. I loved your photos, and can see why you are so thankful for birds :)

I hope you have a wonderful day, and that you and your family had a blessed and joyful Thanksgiving!!!

Blessings and hugs,
Jazzmin

Small City Scenes said...

Love your birds as much as you love your birds. You have some we don't have so I enjoy each and every shot of them. Enjoy your time off. We just got back. MB

Rohrerbot said...

Now this is an epic post with great birds!!! Half of them would be Life birds for me......and that Roadrunner is awesome. I love them so much but I have yet to see one in our yard! They are pretty smart birds:) Hope you have been enjoying your break. The Red-headed and Pileated Woodpeckers are so cool. Thanks for sharing.

LV said...

No doubt, you two live in a bird paradise.
Glad you had a good, safe trip.

Small Kucing said...

am always amazed at your photos. Love the birds. Makes me feel happy looking at them

Starry Dawn said...

Hi dear friend Betsy,
I truly enjoy visiting your most amazing blog with stunning photos.
Thank you so much for taking your time to reply to my questions!
I highly appreciate true friendship, your wise thoughts, kindness and loving ways.
It's almost Summer time in my corner of the world. Hot weather kills me, due to my health issues and asthma attacks. I am not updating my blogs much, but I still read my friends' sites, post my comments, and send emails to my friends from time to time.
I love birds! It's really wonderful the way you catch them in the right spot to take the best possible shot of their beauty.
I love TN! I wish I could visit some day soon...
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year with George, family, and beloved ones, sweet friend Betsy!
Warm Hugs & All the Best,
Poet Starry.

A Colorful World said...

A lot going on on my end, and I apologize for not being around much. Love your bird photos, as always! Hope you and George had a very blessed Thanksgiving!

Andrea said...

Betsy, i joined the birds in singing a Christmas Carol for you! Enjoy your holidays with family.

Twilight Man said...

All the birds looked so pretty and colorful. I am amazed by how the bird fed the babies as I had never seen them in my life. Thanks for sharing always!