Not too much to share today in terms of bird photos. The hawks like our neighborhood but prove as difficult as ever to catch on camera!

I only have one other bird to share this week besides the hawk. One morning I was taking out the trash and glanced up over the house to see this crow sitting in the top of one of the maple trees:

Took the photo from the front yard. He didn’t stick around too long before his friends called and away he flew. We see quite a few crows from time to time. However, they usually don’t hang out in our yard too often.

Mostly, this week I’ve been at work and not out watching the birds with camera in hand (or nearby). However, Tuesday we did get to hear and see one of our neighborhood hawks in action. No hunting luck from our feeders (that I witnessed) for the poor little hawk.

Hawk Tales

Late in the afternoon on Wednesday , J and I took a walk almost around the block, a dog stopped us short but that’s not relevant. We saw robins and cardinals and heard a Carolina wren in the empty lots we passed near the lake. A few geese were in the field surrounding the lake. As part of the agreement to walk with me, I’d bribed the teenager that I’d leave my camera at home. So no photos.

The weather on Wednesday, blustery. Nice out until the winds started. I starting mentioning how maybe it was too windy for us to see our hawks as we came closer to home. At the same moment, we saw over the roofline, a swooping bird making my comments sound like nonsense. And then, we heard the hawks calling.

This lonely, and unsuccessful hunter (on Wednesday anyway), sat perched and looking deep in thought.

Though I looked for a bit, I never could find his calling companion. Sounded quite close, somewhere out front. Later, he moved to another tree branch and we could spot him out my son’s bedroom window. However, by the time I got back outdoors with my camera, away he flew!

Perhaps this week, will be my lucky week for good photos of our Cooper’s Hawks. And perhaps, the birds will help me out by developing a taste for fat squirrels as opposed to my little song birds.

Other Birds Spotted This Week

As I mentioned, I worked quite a few days this week so not a lot of bird photo taking time. The weather’s been nice enough to enjoy them in passing though with plenty of blue skies visible between the cloudy days. Lately, I’ve seen more robins hanging out in the backyard.

And then, our usual guests, welcome and unwelcome, at the bird feeders: sparrows, mostly the house kind with two or three white-throated ones as well, cardinals, chickadees, nuthatches, tufted titmice, and doves. The house finches finally took to the new squirrel proof feeder. My unwelcome squirrels continue to raid all the others.

I’ve started throwing a fruit/nut seed mix on the deck railing for the blue jays to come gobble. I watched one spit one type of the see out one day, must not have been a fan of that type. If the blue jays don’t come in time, the squirrels find it. The cardinals and sparrows seem to enjoy it there as well. Probably need to get a proper tray feeder for the area by the deck. The downy and red-bellied woodpeckers still visit the suet feeder when the squirrels aren’t hogging it. As does the Carolina wren.

At work on Thursday, I spotted more robins, a blue jay in the woods near the main playground, and then a robin sitting on a branch with two mourning doves near the pre-primary playground. A group of gulls also flew overhead late yesterday afternoon as we were out there.

What birds did you spot this week?

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Joining in with the Bird Depot hosted by Anni over at I’d Rather B Birdin’.

In honor of the Kansas City Chiefs upcoming play-off game, there’s a lot of red on display around the city. Thought I’d do my part and start my post with a red bird today.

Red Birds

Cardinals. Funny thing if you’re talking sports and saying “red birds” in this city, you’re not talking about football. Your talking about the baseball team from the other side of the state named after those red birds. We’re all Royal blue around here during baseball season. Enough sports talk. How about some more cardinal pictures?

Can’t leave out the beautiful female cardinal.

And Friends

I’ve noticed the house finches and sparrows like to hang out around the cardinals.  Moving on, how about a photo of a bird that’s not exactly red but has the color in its name?

Red-bellied woodpecker 

Bought a new “squirrel proof” birdfeeder last weekend. The first birds to test it out were the chickadees and then, this fellow:

Kind of funny as he has to work hard to get the seeds out and the suet feeder is easy for him. However, I’ve noticed he now prefers the new feeder. At least, the house sparrows take a break from their seed scattering ways when he arrives.

Another bird to return to the yard this week, our hawk!

Hawk tales

Still not completely sure of the kind. He’s perched in a tree across the street in this photo. I ran outside to take some photos and got fairly close. Though later realized, I should’ve grabbed the bridge camera with the better zoom!

And while I say a hawk, there are two in the neighborhood. Later the same afternoon, I opened the door and listened. And then, stepped out in the street and saw one sitting in a tree at the corner of the road and the one photographed, now in a tree behind the neighbor’s house. Calling back and forth. I grabbed J and we listened for a bit.

Tried listening to various bird sounds and now, I’m even more confused on what it might be. The “crying” sounds we heard don’t seem to match the Cooper’s hawk but those are the most common hawks for our area. I think it might be a red shoulder hawk based on sounds. We do see those on occasion.

On another day, I was simply watching my birds at the feeders when one swooped down low and made a pass over the area! Lucky day for the songbirds and fat squirrels, not such a lucky day for the hungry hawk. Hopefully, I’ll see our hawk (or hawks) again soon and get a better zoomed in photo.

Other Birds Spotted This Week

It’s been a good week for watching the birds out the back door and I’ve been home to do it. One morning, I spotted a pair of crows over the roofline in a tree up on the corner.

And another day, like something out of a dream, a goldfinch perched on the fence for just a moment. I don’t know what the little yellow birds have against our yard but I seldom see them out there!

And finally, I’ve counted 3 so far of the my favorite little white-throated sparrows foraging about on the deck and in the yard!

All our regular customers as well: the Carolina wrens, tufted titmice, downy woodpeckers (saw 3 of those at once one day as well!), blue jays, and chickadees. On a warm day, I even spotted two brown tree creepers in the oak tree. And J noticed a flock of starlings stop briefly in the backyard yesterday.

What birds did you see this week?

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Joining in with the Bird Depot hosted by Anni over at I’d Rather B Birdin’.

Before I continue my post,

Please watch this short video. I want to make sure you read, “they’re blue!” in the correct voice. It’s short and if you have less than 30 seconds, just forward to about the 17 second mark.

Something about those silly commercials! They always make me laugh. Probably because sometime long ago, I think I became somewhat the parent person the ad pokes fun toward.

Anyway, back to the birds. Specifically, the blue jays.

In anticipation of colder weather, I switched up the birdseed, thinking I’d just do it for a special treat for my “regular” customers. However, it brought out a bigger variety of birds including the lovely blue jay!

They have no problem coming right up on the deck to grab the seed. Though they are skittish enough, all photos were through the back door.

While they don’t like to pose for my photos, they aren’t bothered by the other birds or squirrels. I have a rather blurry (too blurry to share) photo of a blue jay enjoying his breakfast right next to one of my pesky squirrels.

If not for the pesky squirrels, I’d love to put a peanut out for the blue jays. I can recall being lucky enough years ago to visit an aunt in Florida and watch as she put a peanut out for her blue jay each day. I’m pretty sure it’s not something I could do in the land of squirrels. Judging by the last few days, I firmly think perhaps the phrase should be multiplying like squirrels, not rabbits!

However, I do plan to stick with this more varied seed at least through the winter months as I love seeing the blue jays come around closer. Maybe they’ll eventually pose for me if I’m outside with them.

Other Birds Spotted This Week

It’s not been a great week for sunshine or really being outside at all. On Tuesday, we walked to the pond at the end of the street and as the gate was opened, trespassed. Just a little bit to see the pond up close!

On the way through the field, I spotted a few crows in the trees as well as this one on the ground.

I always tend to forget that crows are fairly large birds until I see some on the ground.

And in other exciting news, we saw another hawk in the backyard on Thursday! The weather was awful and it’d just quit raining so I might as well of taken the photo at night. However, I edited a little so I could share.

A young Cooper’s Hawk or something else? J keeps asking me what kind of hawk we saw and I’m not sure. Want to guess from my blurry photos?

Wish the lighting had been a bit better (and I’d not been so cold!) as it did that thing where it turned it’s head all the way around to look at me.

Here’s the front of the bird.

What do you think? Hoping it comes back on a warmer day or at least on a day when it could land in range of the back door window (I had to go outside and around the side of the house for the photos above).

Along with the birds mentioned above, I saw our regular backyard visitors: cardinals, chickadees, sparrows, the two tufted titmice, two nuthatches, both the downy and red-bellied woodpeckers, sparrows (including the white-throated sparrows), and Carolina wrens. A few geese and gulls flying overhead. A robin or two in the front of the house. And some starlings. What birds did you see this week?

Most Wanted For Crimes Against My Bird Feeders

I believe this is the leader of the squirrel gang terrorizing my backyard bird feeders. I don’t mind sharing a bit of the bird seed but I’m a bit fed up with the vandalism of the feeders. The gang now numbers at around 7. One member broke my favorite finch feeder. Another dumped the contents of the other feeder all over the ground. And finally, yet another member “stole” all the suet from the suet feeder.

Searching for a new “squirrel proof” feeder is on the weekend agenda. Any suggestions?

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Joining in with The Bird Depot hosted by Anni over at I’d Rather B Birdin’.