@ostdrossel / ostdrossel.tumblr.com
Variety is still low, and the weather will warm up again this week, but the appearance of the yard has changed dramatically in the last couple of days. These photos are not as vibrant as the summer and winter shots but I quite enjoy the melancholy quality of them.
A bit more activity today, and a surprise - a female Grosbeak visited, along with a Goldfinch! There was also a big group of Robins at the pond. I have not managed to get the pond stream back running again but I am working on it.
I cherish seeing anything that is not a MoDo or a Blue Jay right now, because they are dominating. But there have been Goldfinches again! They nest the latest and spend the summer away from feeders because nature offers plenty. Well, and I also love a good molty Grack. Happy Saturday!
I always find it fascinating when nature does things that we cannot manipulate in any way and that remind us of how magnificent and powerful she is. And the amount of awe it inspires is not related to the size of the event or object. The upcoming solar eclipse is just as amazing as the summer molt of the Goldfinches. The weather is fine, the migratory birds are on their way, and yesterday I did some actual garden work. Yay, spring! Happy Sunday!
the Goldfinches have looked like their change to the vibrant yellow summer feathers was about to start, but now, the really adventurous looks are popping up more and more. I thought the first one looked very interesting because he has a lot of features of a Common Redpoll.
is usually marked here by plenty of visits from Nuthatches (White and Redbreasted), woodpeckers, Bluebirds, Chickadees and the regulars (MoDo, Blue Jay, Cardi, House Finches), but this year, bird activity is low with mostly the regulars. I guess there’s plenty to eat in the north so less have migrated. But there have been lots of feisty Goldfinches here lately. Come on, winter!
with mediocre bird activity has passed but there was a lot of sunshine, and it was nice to see the trees do their best to make everything glow before we now get into cooler temperatures. The Goldfinches have returned, now with more drab winter plumage, and the Blue Jays were ruling feeders.
In other news, Birdsy has cameras for pre-order available again, and for the first time will also be available in the UK. I use Birdsy cameras for videos and livestreaming. You can check out their offer on their website birdsy.com.
Last but not least - I seem to only sell calendars when they are on sale this year, so they will be on sale again next week. Come good into the weekend!
continues to be wild, but nature is unstoppable, and spring is marching on. And it is fabulous to watch the changes and transformations. After showing just some specks of vibrancy, the Goldfinches are now almost completely in summer plumage. They nest the latest of them all so I think they just enjoy being bright and colorful for as long as possible. I do not blame them :)
the big birds that are waking up after the winter, the smaller crowd is also singing their heads off and getting into snazzy summer outfits. I loved this very unusually colored House Finch, and the Goldfinches are just adorable with the unpredictable patterns in which their yellow feathers come in.
I see more signs of spring. Also the American Goldfinches that have been looking drab all winter are starting to change into their bright summer plumage. I love this look on them, it is so funny to see where the yellow shoots in on the individual birds.
into spring, and it is noticeable when you step outside right away. The Redwinged Blackbirds and Grackles have even started to puff up already, and it is glorious to listen to and watch. The Titmice have also become a lot more vocal, and the Goldfinches are turning more and more yellow, changing into summer feathers. It is just so lovely to see the changes.
my backyard birding reports are sounding like weather reports 😆🤪 But here we go. Today was the last more extremely cold day for a bit. It will still be wintery but not to the point where you have to use face cream to prevent frostbite (my middle German cheeks are still sensitive to extreme cold). The wind was icy and blowing, and there was not a lot going on. A group of Starlings came over and wrecked the bird baths and shooed everybody away, but there was also sun and I got these three beauties. Come good into the weekend!
dreary day today, and with feeders down, there was of course not a lot going on. I did notice that squirrels really do not like the hot bark butter but scraped the remains off the tree for the night so the Flying Squirrel is happy. And I dug into my folders of photos from the past. These are from a year ago today, and I have never published them. The BBs were visiting a lot because it was cold for a long time. Sigh. Come good into Friday!
I have always loved having four seasons, and Michigan is a great place to be with that. I can see beauty in all four of them, and it is lovely to have them all here. Snow days are fun because there is a bit more activity at feeders, and I love the pale background for photos too. The birds are all slightly more agitated as well, which can produce some fun shots. Here are some from today. It is wonderful to see more of the Titmouse again. The Goldfinches are still quite vibrant, and having the King of the Yard over is always a treat.
because sometimes it can feel like summer still but it can also quickly turn to winter. This year, the trees took their good time to turn, and the backyard looked lovely, all dipped in reds, orange, gold and green. For the calendar, I first looked at the small birds, so the two Chickadees and the Goldfinch were potential choices. But then my eyes fell on the Redbellied Woodpecker lady, and I thought her size, the colors and detail would work a lot better. So that is why she is Miss November. My calendars are on sale this week, you can get yours here. Come good into the weekend!
Things have been on the slow side with bird variety and fun photos but at the same time it feels like a lot more work because of the chaos on social media with all the different platforms that people are currently trying to figure out. It will all sort itself out in time, I hope. In the meantime, I am enjoying the few visitors that are coming right now, on the photo setup as well as on my Birdsy cameras. You can see all the ones I am sharing publicly on their BirdsyTV platform at birdsy.com.
Here are some of the small crowd, super busy all day filling their cache or getting into berries (that purple haze on the BB is not a photo error, there must be some berries around here somewhere.) I present: Tufted Titmouse, Eastern Bluebird, Redbreasted Nuthatch, Eastern Bluebird, American Goldfinch and Dark-eyed Junco (I love this one in particular, he also comes to the branch cam a lot - it looks like he has a kitty stache!)
(Wow, this posted three times lol)
how different things are this November, compared to all the other years I have been here. Temperatures are more than mild, which I think is responsible for the relative quiet in the yard right now. Nature provides an abundance of food, there are still insects around too, so the birds seek feeders less. The Grackle and Redwinged Blackbird are still around too, and today I saw in a local birding group that someone had a Hummingbird on their feeder in Michigan. I am enjoying this mild weather but I really hope we will get some cold too. Anyways, here are some of the current residents, most of which are very busy taking nuts and seeds and hiding them for snowy days.
(Redbreasted Nuthatch, American Goldfinch, Blackcapped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse and House Finch)
