Hummingbirds

They are everywhere. And they are fearless!

Female Red-winged Blackbirds

We've had some regular male red-winged blackbird visitors at our feeders in the past couple of years, but we hadn't ever seen a female before last week! I looked out and noticed something a little larger than the "regulars," the house finches. Once I started noticing all their features, I became very excited! Female red-winged blackbirds! The male was also close by, probably watching his territory. I wasn't able to get a picture of them on the feeder, but I was able to catch them on the trees behind our fence. I saw another female on the feeder today, but I didn't get to my camera quickly enough. I'm hoping for a next time!

Indigo Bunting

Last spring and summer, I started seeing a little solid blue bird come to our feeders. He was pretty shy, so it took a couple of visits before I realized that he was an Indigo Bunting. I was so surprised that what I think of as an exotic bird would visit our feeder, I confirmed his identity with a quick email to the Cornell Lab. When I see him, I always feel like it's a little reminder to me that things in life are good. I just have to have the right perspective on life. I'm so glad he visits regularly, so I can have that reminder often!

Last week, I had a new surprise from the little bird. He brought his girl friend with him! I was able to get a very quick picture of her before she flew off. She looked right at me! It was quick and blurry, but I was so glad that I had my camera nearby. She is quite a looker!

Baby Bluebirds

We haven't had any more action in the bluebird nest box in our back yard since the hard frost at the end of April. I've been disappointed that we haven't even seen any interest from the many bluebirds I see flying around. I'm not sure what I might be able to do to entice a little romance in the back yard, but I'm all ears for advice someone might offer. On bluebird romance, that is.

We were lucky enough to see a couple of juveniles visit our feeder and bath last week. They are really cute, and I love how they seem to be right in between baby feathers and adult feathers. If we can't have a nesting couple in the back, at least we get to some of the babies! It's been super hot outside, so the little bird below has his mouth open. He appreciated a little water!

Bluebird

We still haven't had any other bluebirds in our nest box out back, but in mid-June, I saw this female on our deck. The picture is horribly fuzzy, but I'm hoping she has found a home some where! It looks like she has nesting material in her mouth.

We also had a little excitement with a non-bird critter in our yard. I think he was after my garden! I haven't seen him in a while, and I'm hoping he has found a new home! I tried to chase him away along the fence with a stick, but he only teased me by running back and forth. (I hope my neighbors didn't see me as I'm sure I looked like a crazy woman. The stick was really a steam attached to a dirt ball I grabbed from the compost pile.) My husband was thrilled that we had some other wildlife in our yard, but I was more concerned about damage to my garden. I'll be doing more chasing if he comes back.

Red-winged Black Bird

This bird gets spooked so easily! These are some of the best pictures I've ever gotten of him. We can usually hear him at our feeders before we see him as he has a distinctive song. When I grab my camera and he sees movement, he most often flies away. I love the vibrant red and yellow colors next to the black!

Killdeer

In early May, I was lucky enough to see a Killdeer! John, the girls, and I went on a walk around our neighborhood, and we spotted a bird that we hadn't seen in this area before now. As we continued our walk, we discovered that one of the birds had a nest in one of the empty lots on our street! It was very exciting! I grabbed my camera and went looking for a picture. The birds became concerned and I started to hear the male and female "talking" to one another. I think they may have been trying to distract me or possibly were plotting an evil attack.

One of the birds started moving a little closer to what must have been her nest. As I moved closer, she started acting like she had broken her wing and hobbled in another direction. That's when I was certain I had spotted a Killdeer. I didn't look very much for the nest as I was sure the birds were very concerned at that point. I was just happy to have seen a new bird in our neighborhood!

I did manage to get a couple pictures: Left - bird feigning injury, and right - one of what I think is the bird sitting in her nest.