Who Let the Birds Out?!

Spring has definitely sprung in the kingdom of feathered frolickers…I barely posted about my long over-due ID of an Eastern bluebird, (seen on a power line, during a walk) when lo and behold, I looked out the window at the feeder pole and there sat a bluebird! I was even able to dash for the camera, which sits at the ready on the guest bed near the window…and get one shot before it zipped away. 

The following pictures were taken on two different days during a very short period of time...

I would think this is a female...

Not to be overlooked, finally a goldfinch sighting…I was beginning to wonder if I'd missed them this year...

I'm a bit thrilled to say, the Carolina wrens have become braver and less scarce at the feeders…this one didn't mind sharing with a pine warbler (r), even...

I saw four blue jays coming and going from the feeders at the same time…

The Carolina chickadees are appearing…no mistaking their distinct call…

But they're hard to capture…and fairly scarce...

I couldn't resist this shot through the lattice-top fence...

My guess is that this is a chipping sparrow, morphing from winter to summer coloring…

Update: A fellow birder, Laurence, feels this is a morphing palm warbler, pointing out the narrow bill…I would have to agree, the bill's too narrow for a sparrow. I've compared it to images online and it does match a palm warbler. Thank you Laurence!

…A female yellow-rumped warbler...

…And a male, hiding in a leaf-sprouting tree near the feeders...

…Up in the newly-leafed maple tree, a male No. cardinal waits for a turn at the feed…

At the front of the house, in the next-door neighbor's driveway, some serious drama unfolded…

One No. mockingbird gives the stink-eye to another…

…followed by strutting and posturing...

…Moments later, a kerfuffle!

…A blurry kerfuffle….

Until someone squawks, "I give!" and plays dead...

…Followed by more kerfuffling…

Now was this males being territorial,

Or a mating ritual?!

I hope the former, yeesh!

…Yet another new visitor…not very welcomed, either! An American crow checking out the base of the feeder pole…it didn't eat or even peck at a thing...

…While up above in a neighbor's pine tree, another crow looked on. The Stokes guide says they come to feeders. Please tell me this is NOT going to happen! N-o-o-o-o! It's bad enough I have to put up with the hoggish, couch potato mourning doves. Ack!

This, That, and A Positive ID!

I thought I'd try to post about every 2 weeks, but HELLO! It's been a month since my last post. My bad?! Anyway, some new birds for the year's count have been sighted -- no photos dang it! -- and one, just this morning during my stroll around the 'hood, is also my first positive ID of….drum roll please… the Eastern bluebird! Oh yay! I've seen this "mystery" bird a few times over the past year-ish, but every time I saw it, it was an overcast day and I could not, no matter how hard I squinted, actually make out the color blue. ARG! Today, I saw BLUE! What other bird has the russet "bib" and white belly? I was like 99.9% sure it was the bluebird but me being me, I HAD to see that pretty blue top-side before claiming I'd sighted one.

Also, a couple days ago, also during my morning walk, I spotted not one but two pileated woodpeckers! I spotted one in a neighbor's pine tree last year, and one at the WA Oaks Gardens State Park as well. Gotta love that 'do! These two were near each other, about 2-3 houses apart, so am wondering if they were a pair. They were both hammering, or I'd never have seen them...

I just have to mention that I received a book in the mail the other day, from my 90 year old, dear dad. He sent me his copy of A Field Guide to Western Birds by Peterson. The point of my mentioning this is that this particular edition is copyrighted 1941; the newest edition is 2010. The book arrived the day after I'd spotted the two pileated woodpeckers…there was a small note tucked into the book like a bookmark…the page it was tucked into happens to be page 104, under the Pileated Woodpecker…!

Oh, also seen recently…the first batch of wild turkeys!

A thank you goes to Bob P. for helping me with the correct ID on my previous post…the small tern is a Forster's not the common tern, which isn't so common it turns out…at least not in FL...

Ok, on to some photos…mostly blurry due to taking them through a window…

The birds are eating us out of house and home…and, we now have a male downy woodpecker visiting the suet feeder! I saw him 1-2x last year, but he has been showing up occasionally this early spring on a fairly regular basis.  :-D

The pine warblers had been scarce lately, but seem to be making a come-back…they're here year-round technically at least…

I ran out of suet Wed., the day before I went grocery shopping, and after watching several birds at the empty feeder, I felt guilty enough to make my own suet, ha! The Carolina wrens sure seemed to like it…I even had two at once at the feeder. They are definitely becoming more brave at the feeders this year vs. last year when they were very skittish and scarce.

You know it's spring when the squirrels start pigging out on the maple tree seeds! And I mean PIG OUT…they don't quit until the seeds are all gone, just like the robins and the red berries. Last year, we worried whether the tree would still grow leaves…this front yard tree is still leafless but the back yard, larger maple has it's new leaves.


We have been to the beach since my last post…

Is it me or does this hunkered down pelican look like a feathered football?!

There was a large cluster of sea birds, including a few immature brown pelicans…this one has a leg band…

…Lots of laughing gulls, which are getting their solid black "helmets" back for summer…in case you're wondering why they're called laughing gulls, well just try hanging out for a few minutes with a flock of them…they don't shut up, and they sound kind of like they're laughing when they squawk at each other. Which is constantly. OY! Just another fun day at the beach!