The weekend is here! Time to get cozy and snuggled in. No Chipmunk chose the box I put out, but some mice seem to have taken a liking to it. Have a great Friday evening!
March and April of my 2025 calendar are an American Robin (Michigan's state bird!) and a pair of Blue Jays. Robins leave my area for the coldest months but return in March to stake out their territory. I love them dearly and am always happy to have them nest around my yard. Blue Jays are all-year regulars, but it is rare that they share the food bowl, so this was a special photo. It is rainy and dark here today, I hope these photos can provide some cheer. (Calendars are available here: https://t.ly/QOxEo)
I added the TreeCam to my Youtube channel for the night. If you want to see the Flying Squirrel :)
I replaced the broken orange heated bath with a new one today, and look who visited first... The Bluebirds came back! And it looks like it was at least three. They raised a brood here in spring but I have not seen a lot of them this year. This makes me so happy.
The other night I saw something on the livestream from the corner of my eye but then could not find the clip, but it was finally captured! On the right you see a vole that is living under the bath, coming in for a drink. This is edited and I slowed him down in between. Such a hilarious creature! (It may be a mole possibly, we do have both and I kind of assumed this was a vole because I am not seeing the typical mole "hands". The snout is quite pointy though.)
It's a true November day today, rainy and dark. As a Gemini, I thrive on light and air, so I can use some extra serotonines now. Baked goods with cinnamon help, and chocolate too, but so does nature! There have been some visitors to the tree cam, with a special one last night 🦉Sending love out to you all.
Not a lot is happening in the yard right now, so I am showing the first two birds of the 2025 calendar. The year is greeted with a Dark-eyed Junco. The camera often takes blurry motion shots so this clear photo was a lucky shot. I love these little guys. February is a rare one, an American Tree Sparrow. The spot on the chest gives it away, otherwise they look a lot like Chipping Sparrows. My shop is here:
When the waves of life roar wild, I find solace and peace and joy outside. The birds, critters, sun and trees are a constant that calms me. The Blue Jays were eagerly waiting for refills all day, as they always do, and that gave me a comforting feeling of normalcy. I feel lucky to have that and share some of it.
Good morning from Michigan! The sun is shining, the coffee is brewing, and the birds and critters are ready to calm your nerves in my livestreams on this election day! You can find them on my website (Ostdrossel.com) and on YouTube. Be safe out there!
Maybe I should have played the lotto today... There were at least four Purple Finches here! I think this video is nice also because you can see how different they can look and how much they really differ from House Finches. Here you can see the forked tail pretty good, this is something House Finches do not have, for example.
Today, bird royalty visited - a couple of Purple Finches! I only ever see these guys during migration times, and usually only for one or two days. This video starts with a female House Finch who is then joined by the Purples. If you look closely, you will notice differences between the species. Especially the male has some features that clearly distinguish him from his House Finch counterpart (dots instead of stripes on chest and belly, red on the wings, a pronounced darker bar on the face and a very active crest). I hope they stick around, I want photos too!
The Redwinged Blackbirds continue to visit, with a couple more every day. I love the look of the immature ones, the colors and patterns are just so beautiful. Last pic is one of the delightful and very diligent Chickadees that are hanging around.
A little compilation of visitors at the bath this week. I cannot recommend heated bird baths enough for the cold season, they are a source of lots of joy.
When I am talking about lacking diversity, I am also talking about these guys who used to be regulars - Tufted Titmice. They are one of the cutest birds we got here, and they have made themselves so rare that every visit is an event to me now ❤️
The desk calendar has a fierce Redwinged Blackbird as cover photo because ot worked better with the proportions. Some of these guys are passing through right now too. The calendar is on a special Halloween sale from today until Friday, Nov. 1. You can get it here: tinyurl.com/26edk3yt Have a wonderful day!
A little compilation of visitors to the Birdfy 2 feeder from the last couple of weeks. I know many do not like the snow but I am being a bit selfish and really looking forward to ice and snow because I know it will bring in the birds. You can still get a discount for a Birdfy 2 using the code OSTDROSSEL and this link: https://www.birdfy.com/?ref=Ostdrossel
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.