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...

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

More Backyard Birds Enjoying my Bird Kitchen

DADDY CARDINAL FEEDING HIS BABY
Today is September 11th... This is a sad day for our country since we lost so many of our hard-working citizens in 2001 due to a Terrorist Attack.   SO--whatever you are doing and wherever you are now,  take a moment  of silence to remember those families--and to pray for our country.

Hopefully,  even though it is a sad day,  my post today will put a smile on your face.  My last Bird Blog was just about our Bluebirds.   SO today I'll show you many of the other birds which come to my Bird Kitchen. All of these photos were taken this summer.

The picture above shows a molting Daddy Cardinal feeding one of his babies.  We have several 'babies' around now --and it is so much fun to watch them.  The Baby Cardinals are as large as their parents ---but are still learning how to eat.  I love hearing the Cardinals since the babies just tingle all over --making the sound of a little tiny bell.

Be sure to click on the photos for enlargements.




DOWNY WOODPECKER
You will notice through these photos that many of my birds love the new suet I buy.  Woodpeckers have always enjoyed suet --but now,  other birds love it also.   This new kind is called "Peanut Delight" and is a no melt suet dough... It smells just like peanut butter... I get it at Walmart --and the birds love it.




FEMALE HOUSE FINCH





MALE HOUSE FINCHES at the BIRD BATH
I have two birdbaths ---and the birds enjoy both of them.




TUFTED TITMOUSE
Birds that I ALWAYS have at the feeders (Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatches, and Carolina Chickadees) will eat most anything I put out there.  BUT--until now,  the Tufted Titmice never ate the suet.  Now they LOVE it.




MALE AND FEMALE MOURNING DOVES
The male is the one on the right... He has a blueish area on his head.  The females are mostly brown... These big birds think they OWN the plate feeder.  They will get on the plate and just sit there for a long time (until I 'encourage' them to move on).... ha




RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER
This bird  (along with the Pileated Woodpeckers) squawk and make alot of noise when coming to the feeders... I'm not sure why they do it --other than to let the other birds know that they are coming (and to get out of the way).... ha




MALE GOLDFINCH (molting)
Here is one of our pretty little male Goldfinches... They are so pretty in spring and summer ---but like the Cardinals,  they molt --and look rather bedraggled these days.




CAROLINA WREN
This little bird is the best singer we have in our neighborhood.  To be so tiny,  he can really belt out a song!!!!!!  They also never used to eat the suet---but love it now!!!!




PILEATED WOODPECKER
Our biggest woodpecker is the Pileated Woodpecker.  They can really eat the suet.... I love this photo since he is getting his daily exercise at the same time that he is eating.  He's a multi-tasker for sure!!!!!!! ha ha




WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH
I was hoping to capture this guy with a big peanut in his mouth--but missed that photo.... They are at the feeders off and on all day long!!!!!  They are busy little guys!




BLUE JAY
Here  is one of our many Blue Jays --who come and go at the plate feeder,  as long as the peanuts last!!!!! 




BLURRY TUFTED TITMOUSE
I apologize for this photo... I was SICK that it was blurry ---but decided to show it to you anyhow since it made me laugh.   This is a TUFTED TITMOUSE actually carrying a big peanut.... I wondered how he could get it in his mouth --but it must have had a small piece of stem on the end.... SO CUTE....  The little birds usually don't bother the peanuts since they can't get them in their mouths....




RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Here is one of the prettiest of all of the woodpeckers.  I can't tell the male from the female --but they have been around here most of the summer.




JUVENILE RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Finally,  here is my FAVORITE bird of the month!  I enjoy seeing all of the babies of the different birds we have ---but until now,  had not seen any baby Red-Headed Woodpeckers...  Isn't he adorable?  Soon--he will have the bright red head and black and white colors like his parents have...




JUVENILE RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
I wanted to show you one more photo of the Baby Red-Headed at the suet feeder.  The lighting was not very good --but you can see his underneath side... I love the way that woodpeckers use their tails to help with balancing... The Pileated Woodpeckers do the same thing.  He is a Cutie ---and managed to work his way to get some suet...  Hope he comes back!!!

Hope you enjoyed seeing more of my Backyard Birds today... If you don't feed the birds,  you should.... They bring me so much pleasure!!!!   We also have 3 hummingbird feeders --and have had more hummingbirds the past month than we had all summer.  BUT--I have yet to get a photo this year... I'll keep trying.

Now--hop over to my Photo Blog (click HERE) to see a special photo that I took...

Have a great day.
Hugs,

55 comments:

Small Kucing said...

911 is a sad day and also a happy day as it's one of my good friend wedding anniversary.

What the bird trying to do in the last photo. ..? Like its trying weight lifting :)

Ms. A said...

The last photo looks like it's doing chin ups!

Ercotravels said...

Really, 11/9 is so sad day! but Betsy, your birds looking beautiful in your photographs and sounds you love more from birds..or yes, I just found an amazing place which is very interesting and famous for their history and culture. I hope that you will know about it through my new post..

Twilight Man said...

9/11 - I remembered watching CNN-LIVE on TV when it happened unexpectedly right in front of my eyes!

The birds are pretty and I like the Red Headed Woodpecker in 2nd last photo. It matches so well with the tree barks!

MastHoliday said...

I know that time, really was a very sad time.
But i glad that you got beautiful photographs of the little cute birds.

eileeninmd said...

Great birdie post, Betsy! One of my favorite birds is the Redhead woodie and the cute juvie. Great shots of your backyard birds. I will never forget 9-11. Have a great day!

Peaches McGinty said...

It is right we take a moment to remember 9-11 and never forget.
The birds are an absolute delight, I enjoy watching our little visitors, although we have been known to alert them to Cookie (our cat) by running and waving arms frantically x x

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

What great photos of some sweet bird visitors to your place. Birds are so carefree.

9-11 was a shockingly sad and horrifying day. My heart and prayers go out today for all of those who lost loved ones that day.

FlowerLady

MadSnapper said...

i love the attitude of the nuthatch and the last photo made me laugh, now we know how birds do chin ups, or make that beak ups.

Latane Barton said...

I really enjoyed my morning visit with your birds. What a way to start the day, Betsy.

linda m said...

Those are some fabulous photos. I always love seeing your bird pictures; especially the birds that don't visit me in WI. Thanks for sharing.

Out on the prairie said...

Lovely visitors

Wonder if you have slugs on the sedum, they are hard to see active.

Shug said...

I'm guessing that the birds in your area can talk!!!! I know they are spreading the word about all the goodies that you and George supply! Your yard is the Best of the Best and they all want to come feast at your place. These are some really great shots of some gorgeous birds. My fav is the red headed woodpecker.
Hoping you have a beautiful day.
hugs,
shug

tammy said...

Hi Betsy, I did go back to see if you saw my comment yesterday and want to thank you for your friendly reminder about my absent email...I've corrected that now. ;-)

The reason I knew what the red flower was called is I saw it mentioned on another blog. (I read a lot of blogs & books)

I enjoyed viewing your Bird Kitchen today and did not know that cardinal birds molted like that. My favorite pic was the Mourning Dove couple!

I'm reading a Southern Novel now called "The Funeral Dress" and in it it mentions cardinals and the lady always blows a kiss for luck when she sees one. I had never heard of this custom but I think it is a cute idea!

Have a sweet day!

Glenda said...

What wonderful birds you have, Betsy! If we try to feed birds around here, the starlings come and chase off everybody else, even when there's plenty of natural food around for them, so we don't even try to feed them. I think we all will remember where we were on that fateful day in 2001, when the world watched in horror as life as we knew it changed forever. All I wanted to do was call my children, but I was at work and was not allowed to make long-distance calls, and we didn't all have cell phones as we do now. That day served to remind me of the importance of telling those we love how important they are to us all the time. Have a blessed day, Betsy! :-)

LV said...

A most enjoyable and pleasant bird presentation. I wish I had just one or two like that. Nothing but but the mean starlings.

Sylvia K said...

I do love your birds!! On days of sad remembrance like today, it is good to be reminded of the beauty that still surrounds us! Thank you!!

Annie Jeffries said...

I've never heard the sound of a baby cardinal. I'll have to see if I can find one on YouTube. AND - it just occurred to me that in our travels next spring, I will actually be seeing many of the birds that I see here and love so much. That's exciting.

Brenda Kay Ledford said...

Today is a sad day. We need to remember the families in prayer who lost loved ones on 9/11.
Your photos of the birds are awesome! I love all of them. You are a fantastic photographer. Thanks for the wonderful photo show.

Small City Scenes said...

I love watching the birds at the feeders. We have 8 feeders hanging around the deck and from the apple trees. I get the peanut suet also. All the birds love it. It is so funny to see the bigger birds and the positions they get into to access the feeders. MB

Beatriz said...

Betsy

September is an adorable month, and your birds are always happy!!!
I loved everything, congratulations for your amazing photos!!!

Hugs

Bia
www.biaviagemambiental.blogspot.com

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

Sad day but some pretty birds here....make me smile

Connie said...

Great photos of your bird visitors, Betsy! I love the one of the blue jay holding the peanut! :D

Busy Bee Suz said...

They are all adorable and the multi-taskers are the cutest. Your kitchen serves great food. :)
XO

Angela said...

You really have some beauties at your backyard kitchen! They did put a smile on my face! It also is inspiring me to try to get my feeders full of seed and possibly put out some suet tomorrow when it is supposed to cool down here. Right now it is just too hot for me to do it. My feeders are a good distance from where I store their seed. I'm so looking forward to seeing some of my old feathered friends back in my yard this fall.

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Hi What a wonderful selection of Woodpeckers. great post and shots

Ginny Hartzler said...

Well, I can't help it, my favorites are the molting daddy feeding his baby in the first picture and the blue jay with the HUGE peanut. You are excellent at identifying juveniles, the hardest of all!!

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

Such beautiful bird pics. I love how much joy they bring you.

Anonymous said...

Hi Betsy, You sure did not disappoint about the Red-headed Woodpeccker juvenile! What a super little woodpecker! I love all of the kinds of woodpeckers, especially the Red-headed and the Pileated. Have a really nice Thursday (P.S. we just got home from the beach up North at Jacksonville, FL - had a great time there).

Anonymous said...

What a delightful variety of bird come to visit your feeders. I love them all but my favorite is the colorful Goldfinch.

Ann said...

your bird kitchen is a busy place. I love the picture of the blue jay with the peanut in it's beak

Sally Wessely said...

Love your birdies.

Jim and Sandie said...

I wish I had the patience to take such good bird pictures. Yours are just incredible. Thanks for brightening up a sad day.

Arkansas Patti said...

It is hard to imagine it has been 12 years since our world turned upside down. It still seems so vivid.
That cardinal has seen better days. Molting is not a good look.
That last fellow seems to be working on his core.

happyone said...

You get so many different birds in your yard and I love seeing all the photos of them.

Anonymous said...

Sweet little birds. Have a good night.

Rohrerbot said...

Man! Both you and Eileen have great birds to your feeders. Great shots and am so glad you have them come to your feeders.

Don't you just love that no-melt suet?! I purchased that here during winter and holy cow! do I go through the bricks everyday!

The Furry Gnome said...

What wonderful group of birds to have in your yard! You have several that we never or rarely see here. I only saw a Tufted Titmouse a year or two ago. I can't remember seeing a Red-headed up here, though we saw one in Kentucky in the spring. And I've never seen a Red-bellied Woodpecker. Great stuff.

amy @ Life in Pink Hi-Tops said...

Great pics of the birds. I finally put some bird food in my feeder and not a single bird has shown up.

Joy said...

Wonderful to watch them:)

Unknown said...

Good Article in pleasant atmosphere.Keep writing same as subject.
Estetik

Our photos said...

Great birdie photos!
Greetings, RW & SK

Janice K said...

Lucky you....Those "Redheads" don't seem to be around much any more. Loved seeing the babies too--Never saw one before.

Jeevan said...

It was great entertainment watching these bird photos... esp. love the exercising woodpeckers! The Finches remind me our house sparrow... which had become a rare species in our neighborhood.

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

these birds do bring me a smile, especially the babies...I will always remember 9/11

Hootin Anni said...

!!!LOVE!!! that pileated woodpecker. That photo is a keeper. It's priceless. As is the one with the peanut in its beak.

You know I love anything birds...so this post was an extra-special treat for me Betsy!!!

DeniseinVA said...

Darling birds Betsy, and all beautiful photos. I also enjoyed your story about the burros when leaving a comment on my blog. Thank you so much, and have a great weekend.

Cheryl @ TFD said...

Great pictures, Betsy! I always love seeing the birds at the B&G Diner!

I bought the Peanut Delight today at WallyWorld hoping to entice the birds back into the previously kitten-covered back yard. I see one bluebird hanging around, but just the one. He looks rather lonely, hope nothing happened to his mate.

Audrey said...

Thanks for sharing your birds. I love birds and they bring us such happiness.
Blessings,
Audrey Z. @ Timeless Treasures

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

These are great, Betsy. Favorites are the Pileated woodpecker chinning himself while trying to get to the suet and then the two shots of the juvenile Red-headed woodpecker. I really liked the one that showed the colors of that juvenile so prettily.

Audrey said...

Love your birds Betsy. You live in a beautiful area for the birds and also the Fall colors. We owned a Timeshare in Fairfield Glade and loved our visits there.

New follower and will be back to see more of your great photos.
Audrey Z. @ Timeless Treasures

Betty Manousos said...

such gorgeous birds! your photos are simply beautiful! i really love the woodpeckers. i so enjoy your place, betsy. that's my dream view everyday.

big hugs!

Chatty Crone said...

We will and should all remember - but it is nice to look at the beautiful birds that God has given us! Sandie

Heidrun Khokhar, KleinsteMotte said...

There are so many sad days lately with mass shootings and hurricanes and fires and floods!
I do think you have a splendid bird collection Betsy.

Mary said...

You still have a great variety of birds at your feeders. I think a hawk if keeping a lot of mine away. Love the juvenile woodpecker...I've never seen one of those! Interesting!