…and waiting …and waiting.
We saw a bunch of birds feeding outside the kitchen window: two kinds of woodpeckers, a nuthatch, some finches, an Eastern bluebird, and the grackles (of course). I got excited, grabbed my new camera and tripod, put on an Irish wool sweater (it’s only 29 degrees Fahrenheit out), snatched a folding chair from the garage, and staked out the hanging birdseed bell. I stayed half-hidden behind a large garbage bin.
I sat. I sat some more. Oh, I could hear them, but I couldn’t see them. Except one… High on a wire. I’m fairly certain he was a scout sent to check if the coast was clear. He was chit-chitting at me.
Eventually, defeated, I packed everything up and went back inside.
Some of the birdies came right back. Of course they did.
Through our sometimes foggy windows… taken with Canon PowerShot SX530 HS Camera.
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Woodpecker #1 – A Downy Woodpecker (or in French, Pic mineur)
Eastern Bluebird
Woodpecker #2 – Red-bellied Woodpecker, Female
A Nuthatch – How YOU Doin’?
If Hibernating Trees Dreamt
An Eventual Return
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Compromise (This taken with iPhone camera)
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Links
- Walk with me along Canandaigua Lake? My first day out with the camera.
- Merlin Bird ID App from The Cornell Lab: https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/
- eBird Birding App from The Cornell Lab: https://ebird.org/home
- The Cornell Lab, All About Birds: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/
awwwwww….heeheehee….I admire your patience.
I know how frustrating it can be.
🙂
Loved seeing the photos of your sweet little visitors!
Thank you, GKGirl! 🙂
They say a watched pot never boils… and apparently a watched seed-bell never sees many birds – at least if they know you are nearby! 😉
We love to bird watch too. Our son, now 17, was the one who got me hooked. At 3 years old, he became fascinated with birds (much like little kids do with trucks or dinosaurs…only he liked birds). We had every bird ID book we could find! Now that he’s older, he’s not so much into birds. But I still love to watch and ID them! And, now my husband is hooked. We keep a list of new birds sighted on our fridge. It’s a fun hobby. Our kitchen window faces some of our feeders, so while washing dishes I am often bird watching too 🙂
It’s always interesting to see the different birds from other parts of the country! I hope you have a great winter bird watching with your new camera!
Thanks, Bekah! I was never a “bird watcher” per se, only noting the more infrequent visitors (like Cardinals) when we lived in the city neighborhood. Also, there is a park in the area where you can hold out bird seed and Chickadees will land on your hand. THAT I loved.
But now that we are here in the countryside, it’s so peaceful to watch the birds com by. The Red-bellied Woodpecker (female) is becoming a frequent visitor to the birdseed in the tree outside my window. Funny how you start to look for them and wonder when they are not there!
So sweet about your son. Perhaps when and if he has his own children, he’ll inspire his own little one(s) to watch for feathered friends!
Chickadees are the cutest. So cheeky! Friends of ours could get the chickadees in their yard to eat out of their hands, but I haven’t attempted that in our backyard. I think that requires some patience that I don’t have.
If he doesn’t get his future kids into bird watching…you can bet grandma will 😉
Enjoy your weekend!
PS Have you ever participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count? It always takes place in the middle of February and is hosted by Cornell and the Audubon Society. It’s kind of fun! https://gbbc.birdcount.org/
I have not heard of the Great Backyard Bird Count, Bekah! I shall have to check it out. Thanks for sharing the info!
Oh those silly birds! Of course that’s exactly what happened. I can watch them all day through the window (so can the dog and cats) and they’ll just come to the feeder like nobody’s business. But you pick up the camera? They’re gone!
And much like Bekah, we keep a list on the fridge of new birds we spot. And most of our feeders are right outside the kitchen window!
Maybe Mr. Gordon and I need to join the club and put a list on our fridge, too! LOL!