Chickadee Snacktime

A little Chickadee spent some time at my feeders snacking on sunflower chips this afternoon.  If you look closely you can see a chip held between its feet.  So far the Redpolls haven't shown up at the feeders and the Chickadees are making good use of the time before the crowds arrive. 

Back Home to Winter

It was snowing and about 25 degrees when we arrived home yesterday afternoon.  I don't think this will melt, and we'll have snow on the ground until April.

Before we left home on October 1st I had cleaned out most of my flower boxes, but I left the whiskey barrels that were still blooming in the front yard.  Covered in snow they still look appealing.  Now I'll have to decide whether to rip the plants out or leave them until spring.  Maybe I'll add a goblin or two....

As always we were welcomed home by our sweet little Chickadees.  I filled the feeders and they were happily flitting back and forth between the feeders and the trees. 

We spent a couple of wonderful weeks in the warmer weather of the Pacific Northwest visiting friends and family and extending fall just a bit.  It's always good to get home though.

Chickadee Jamboree

After the Hummingbird Moth in yesterday's post had zipped away, I looked around to see where it went.  I never did see it again, but that might be because I got distracted by the Chickadee family.  They were grabbing sunflower chips from the feeder near the trees, and then flitting around in and out of the trees as they nibbled on the treats.  It was a bit windy, so there were some ruffled feathers.  They were quite obliging, as Chickadees are, and posed for me.  I thought I heard laughter a few times when one landed within a few feet of me and I attempted to get my camera to focus on him.  I missed a good many shots, but I was able to capture a good many more.

You just gotta love Chickadees!

Hanging Out at the Feeders

View From the Kitchen Window

Last week we had a few days of warmer weather, and then as predicted the thermometer plummeted to 45 below.  As I didn't   have anyplace I had to be I stayed home yesterday and today and watched the activity from my kitchen window.  The cold didn't stop the Redpolls or the Hairy Woodpecker from visiting the feeders.

I was constantly drawn to the window to admire the late morning sun as it glowed through the trees.

I captured a silhouette of a Redpoll in front of that glow.

As the sun moved across the sky it was brighter, but it still provided no extra warmth.....

.....and a Redpoll peered up at the thermometer as if in disgust that it had only risen to 40 below.

And all day long the Redpolls continue to come to the feeders, keeping their feathers puffed up to keep them warm.  It takes a lot of food to maintain even such small birds when it is cold.

Then today when it warmed up to 35 below a lone Chickadee ventured out to feed on the peanut butter suet and sunflower chips.

We are supposed to have temperatures in the daytime maybe up to 20 below but dropping down again at night for the next several days.  It is January, after all, and our coldest time of the year.

My Winter Birds: Chickadees

With winter peeking over our shoulders, we've been busy cleaning up the yard and getting it ready for winter.  As part of the process we've moved the bird feeders back up to the deck.  It's been a busy place as the birds that hang around during the winter have been coming and going.  The Chickadees come all day long and are very friendly.  I think they were posing for me.

My Suet Feeder

Several people asked me about the suet feeder in my last post. The Chickadee is the featured bird on the feeder so the following images show a Chickadee at the feeder.Many years ago at a craft show here in Fairbanks a gentleman from Anchorage had a booth with a lot of bird feeders that he had made and with paintings showing many different birds. I have not been able to track him down and I suspect that he is no longer making the feeders.

It is a relatively simple design, cut from probably a small birch tree. It looks to have been painted first with a finish like Varethane, the designs painted on, and then given another coat of Varethane. Of course, small perches were added and holes drilled for the suet, and a hanger at the top.

It has held up very well and always provides a nice background for whatever bird is perched on it, whether it is the little Chickadee or the larger Hairy Woodpecker or Gray Jay. I've taken a lot of photos of those birds on it, and you can see more views by checking my Label section in the sidebar under those three birds. It hangs about six feet from my kitchen window and most of the photos were taken through the window.

Our Winter Songbirds

In the winter the birds we see most often at the feeders are the Redpolls and the Chickadees. The Redpolls start showing up at the feeders usually in December. This year the first one I spotted was last Sunday. I always seem to see only one the first day. The next day more show up. I think one day is devoted to reconnoitering the area and scouts are sent out to check out the provisions offered. Then they report back to the flock and they lay out their daily travel plan. Yesterday there was also a check on the temperature. How much do we need to fluff our feathers today? Ah, not too bad. Just a light fluff day. A bit of sun was hitting the feeders and highlighted the bright red head of the Redpoll.

Of course a constant year-round are the Chickadees. I had just refilled the suet feeders and the Chickadees got in for their share before the greedy Gray Jays stopped by.

So far the Redpoll population has been light, allowing the Chickadees to spend a little more time hanging out at the feeders. When the Redpolls are visiting in big numbers the Chickadees tend to dart in and get a seed and then flit off to the trees to eat.

For now, eating that seed right at the feeder works just fine!

Going for the Grub

One of my garden chores yesterday was hanging a bird feeder, and I got that done before coming in for the day. This morning the Chickadees had already discovered the sunflower seeds, and all day there was a steady stream back and forth. I'm sure they thought "It's about time! We could have starved here."

As I was busy getting the flower bed ready for winter I could hear lots of chattering, and a few times I felt like I should be ducking. They were not at all concerned with where I was, and were intent on moving the sunflower seeds to undisclosed locations. They've got some stocking up to do before the snow flies and not a moment to be lost.

Guess I'd better get the rest of the feeders out and hung!

Song Birds in the Backyard

In my backyard I see and hear a lot of little songbirds. The most common bird I see is our resident Chickadee.They are very polite and will land on low branches and don't care if I'm close to them.

In fact, they seem to say, "Did you get that shot?"

Others like to hide in amongst the branches. I have a hard time identifying some of them, like the guy below. I think he is some kind of Sparrow.

This time of year it is especially difficult to identify the songbirds as the juveniles are out and about. The one below looks to be a juvenile Robin.

I can recognize the Yellow-rumped Warbler. That telltale yellow spot gives them away. You might know them as a Butter butt.

So many of the little songbirds like to sit on a high branch, and that makes it very hard to get a clear photo of them and require a lot of cropping to be able to get a close-up. The one below is some kind of Sparrow.

Even if I am unable to identify them, I enjoy seeing them flitting around in the trees. They also fill the air with beautiful song.