Heated water for the birds..

It's supposed to be drinking water.... but one cold snowy day...yes this early in the year darn it...  .... one guy discovered it was heated and decided he would like a bath.
Two others followed suit, and then all of a sudden there were so many that they were jumping up and down on the wall and the board holding the container ...  all clamouring to get in and have a splash!
It was sparrow bedlam!
I ran for my camera and this is what I saw... the colour is not great as the sun was shining brightly and  you notice the blueish tint of the UV protection in the window glass plus they are a bit dark...

I cropped the second one quite a bit so you can see the funny guy with the wild hair ... like he all of a sudden wondered why he would partake in such shenanigans or was shocked to realize he was bathing in his own drinking water ...  or something....

As usual... click on any photo to see it larger and get a better view... ..there is really nothing 'common' about the Common House Sparrow.. they are a lot of entertainment.

hahaha.... look at that little wild haired guy...!   Hang on.  Maybe that's a little lady and she is concerned now because there I am with the camera... showing her to the world in 'not-quite-her-best' form......oh 'dear .... that could be it........

Linking to Stewart's Paying Ready Attention Gallery.... for Wild Bird Wednesday.  Click on the badge below to go directly there to see other birds...  perhaps you have a bird photo of your own to add to the group?

Walkin' on water

 What!!? ....   well, it isn't all that tough.... but it sure is annoying when I just want a drink or a bath.......

Not perfect photos as it was through the venetian blinds and screens, which is more or less the norm around here most days....

It is getting down to freezing temps. overnight now and the birdie bath gets frozen solid.  They come as soon as the sun is shining and hop around all over it searching for tiny crevices or eventually making a little hole to get a sip.

It's pretty slippery and they fall around... feathers stand on end...they do the splits...look pretty awkward and probably even stretch things they don't actually want to stretch... slide around a bit more and then.... leave.

But, they come back often to check for open water as the day wears on and the temps. climb to acceptable numbers ...like +15C... it's great days right now ... oh, to have it last until December..hahahahhahahahhah ...oh, sorry, lost my mind for a moment there.  As I'm sure you all remember, we have already had a huge snowfall to remind us of where we live.  That 17 inches melted finally, and hey!..there was still green grass under it.  Now it is more seasonable... like ...dying ...oh, alright, going dormant....and a bit more brownish with more coloured leaves on it and looks about ready for winter weather.  Almost.


Click on them to see a bit larger and more detail will also be visible ..even if it is semi fuzzy...

Wild Bird Wednesday

You just never know with birds.

What are they doing?  What are they thinking?  Why do they do that?  Are they nuts?

Every year some little sparrows work diligently ... dragging leaves, long stems of grass, and twigs and bits of string and all sorts of things up inside the top boards of a privacy fence in the yard.

I can't decide if it is several nests in there or if it is just one looooong one... the fence is 8 feet wide and they go all along the full length of it.  Maybe a communal  nest? Who knows.  All I know is... they work at it...then, work stops...and all of a sudden there seems to be no interest in it anymore.  Nobody comes and goes...no babies show up or anything.... hmmmm... what the heck is happening?

I pull out handfuls of stuff later in the season..or sometimes I try to do it as they are dragging in "stuff" to dissuade them..... nothing works.  We always say we are going to put in some blocks between each upright but, we never seem to get around to doing it and it begins again mid summer each year.  They are at the stage where they have sort of slowed down and are not so excited about dragging in any more material now.....

Look at this little guy...his leaf is bigger than he is.

He noticed me moving in the window...and took a running start with his prize, whatever it is ... ...you can almost see the soles of his little feet...hahahhaha...

See the tail feathers?  They jump and climb up inside there .... it's crazy... they come out looking all wonky and their feathers are standing up on end...it is a pretty tight fit.  A throttled " 'and brush" as my Mum used to say.

Missus Limpy sits on the patio wall...just watching,.. wondering what they are up to.
Oh, and that's another myth bashed.... crows do not keep the little birds from your yard.  As a matter of fact... the sparrows and others steal the seeds or crumbs right off the garden stone that is the "crow platter"... every time the crows step more than 2 feet away from it.  Crows don't scare anybody......

Linking to Stewart's blog and other bird pics and stories about birds.

Wild Bird Wednesday

Last week I was going to post my photos of 'plain but pretty' House Sparrows as some other bird photographer called them.

Then I saw Brian King's images of House Sparrows and man... they were so beautiful.... I thought...hmmm....    I dunno.... mine are not that great in comparison.

But, then I thought....Hey !! just a darn minute..... this is not a competition..... it is just fun.

It's lots of fun just seeing other peoples amazing, beautiful, interesting, or just plain funny birds.  I used to laugh out loud at Dave's photos.  He used to post the butts of birds... as a matter of fact...that is the name of his blog... Birds from Behind  .....   ... as that is mostly what we get trying to take photos of birds anyway.  They jump out of the frame at the least opportune time.  Sometimes we get a wing... a part of a foot...a butt....sometimes we get lucky on a first 'click'...sometimes you never get what you are trying for..... you get the idea.

Anyway... after all of that...I give you my lovely little House Sparrows.   My sister and I have decided they are kinda like us.  Our Dad used to tell us we were "homely"... miserable old shit.... our Mom used to tell us he meant "homey" to try to make us think he wasn't just rude.  It's okay... maybe we are sort of middle of the road looking;  even if one of his 3 girls was runner up to Miss Dominion of Canada one year ... .. feisty and fun .... and, on a good day, sort of cute.   I'll take that.

Click on any photo to see it larger ...

Female House Sparrow

Male House Sparrow

Female House Sparrow

Male House Sparrow

Female House Sparrow

Female House Sparrow

So cute... looking right at me and demanding I take her 'best side' ....



Linking up to Stewart's blog at Paying Ready Attention  .... where there are lots of lovely birdies to see ...

Wild Bird Wednesday

Northern Flickers today.   I've had them on here before ...but, hey.... I only get so many birds to the feeder and in the yard and I'll be darned if I want to go looking for them elsewhere when it is -20C... although, today the sun is shining....so it seems pretty nice even if it is cold.

These are from a few days back...

These two didn't seem to mind sharing, although it rarely happens.  If another one shows up when one is already on the suet cage... the first guy usually flies off.   Maybe they are buddies ... I wish there was a way to tell the difference between all the birds.  I don't know if many come once or twice or if a few hang out here all the time... all I know is there are several different males and females flying in and out during any given day.   They love the bug and peanut butter suet....
Click on any photo to see them up close and personal....

Waiting for a turn on the suet ... with all the sparrows that litter the wall and trees.....

They love the heated bird bath and water.... it gets a thick icy ring around the edge...but, that doesn't bother them... and I knock it off daily.
I love this picture.

The sparrows wanted to be in on the photo shoot too....
A little fuzzy as it was through the blinds in the window....

Check out other birds on Stewart's site....

Click on the badge below...

Wild Bird Wednesday

I haven't been very regular in postings for Wild Bird Wednesdays ... but, on occasion I get a pretty capture and want to share it with somebody...anybody....so here it is for today.

If you want to check out beautiful or unusual birds ... please go to Stewart's blog ...

Please meet Mister and Missus Chirpy ....  aka House Finches.  They have a lovely warbly sing song which is why we call them Chirpies.....they seem to hang around during our winters... but, we don't see them all the time.

Click on any photo to get a closer look at them ...

Right now they are coming to the seed feeder along with sparrows, chickadees, nuthatches and a lone Pine Siskin.  There was a horrible accident one day with my damn kitchen window and a lovely little lady White Winged Crossbill.  She flew full tilt into it and killed herself immediately.  I did go right out to retrieve her and bought into the house in a shoebox to see if she could revive.  Many hours later she had not moved at all..    I cried.  She was so pretty and so dead.  My only good thought was that it must have been instantaneous and that she didn't suffer unnecessarily.  Mister BV had to dispose of her...I couldn't do it.  Poor little thing.

Anyway ... on to another photo of Mister Chirpy ...

Here is a nice clear one of himself ... him I can identify immediately...but, unless I am looking through my camera lens..I am not always sure if the Missus is a sparrow or if she is a Chirpy.  They are smaller than our sparrows but unless you see them side by side..it's hard to tell.  And, she is mostly browns....

Here is Mister Chirpy and a sparrow having a chat .... you can see the size difference ..  and Missus Chirpy is even more elegant, somewhat leaner, and a bit smaller overall than her mister.

Here is the link to Wild Bird Wednesday if you would like to join in with a photo of your own .. or just have a peek at other birdies.....

Winter has arrived

I hope it's not here to stay for the duration of the wintery months.... like, until spring...which in this part of the world could be, erm... May.....

We usually have plenty of sun though... and, we also usually have lovely warm spells called Chinooks... but, last year it was pretty much from Hallowe'en til .. oh, yeh...... May ....  darn it.  .........I hope this year is not like last year.

My Christmas cactus has bloomed; when is American Thanksgiving?   must be soon.... seeing as it usually blooms about then... so I changed its' name to that instead of Christmas cactus.  It might be finished blooming by next week this year...what the heck? ...

Those are new little ornies I found already.... it's kind of a tradition to buy a few new little things for the tree each year... and, to give away some of the other ones I've enjoyed for years....

The snow began to fall late Saturday night....

By morning the top of the patio wall was chest deep on sparrows... they don't look particularly pleased do they?
                                                                               





                                                                                 





They had a look at the bird bath.... hmmmm... the snow was beginning fill it as well... the water is frozen solid of course..... no bathing today guys!

I'm not sure they believed me.

They went away and didn't even bother looking at the feeder for seeds.  Hmmm.... weird.

I thought they would be hanging around all day til it was empty and then...beg for more.

The snow continued throughout the whole day yesterday .....

Cupid disappeared ...............

Definitely no bathing today guys........ but, did you notice the thermostatically heated bird water I put out? ...it's over in the patio .... come on back..........!!!  Not for swimming mind you...but, how 'bout a drink? ....

Awww... come on............ I paid good money for that thing....

Wild Bird Wednesday

I almost feel guilty.

My birdie feeder is such fun... and, it is collecting quite a few visitors... mostly sparrows...but, hey I love all the little guys.

But ... the other day, a larger, brown form swooped in; touched the feeder briefly with a foot and then..landed on my cupid's head on the bird bath.  Yikes!!  I've created a hunting ground for hawks!!

I quickly went to the window and was going to open it and shoo it away...but, Mister BumbleVee said ...don't scare it away.... get a picture !!  I grabbed the camera, which was on the table ... fumbled with the venetian blind in the window and managed to get one.... luckily he was totally intent on staring at the sparrows in the shrub.

I don't know what it is ... but, it isn't very large.... and, it's beautiful.

All the little guys disappeared into the middle of a Korean Lilac bush... and, even though there are no leaves left on it... the tiny branches protected them....no way that guy would fight his way into that bush.

Mr. BV was right.  I did get a great photo.

I don't know what it is .... maybe a Kestrel? .... a Merlin?..... ....   anybody??????  Help me out here please...there is still more tail down behind cupid's wing...which has a bit of snow on it.... sadly I didn't get a glimpse of the tail..... which could probably tell us a lot......

Click on the pics to enlarge ....see him/her up close .......

And, here is a shot of the bird bath with the cupid in full view and sparrows near it for a size comparison..

If you would like to join in or just have a look at lots of other birds .... go to Wild Bird Wednesday to check them out.

Wild Bird Wednesday

I've shown you a Northern Flicker before...but, this is different.

Last week I bought a birdie feeder.  It's called a Squirrel Buster.  It has a mechanism that prevents squirrels from getting the seeds.  They weigh more than any of the birds I want to see on my feeder.

The factory setting is about 2.5 ounces to 4 ounces or something like that.  I'll have to read up on it again.  It's difficult to determine exactly how much I turned the screw to increase the weight allowed before it closes down now... ..although, I do have a gram scale and will eventually test how much I now have it set for...

For the first few days I left it at factory setting.  This happened.

( Click on any photo to "biggify" )

The poor guy (or maybe now that I look closely at my own photo..this is not a guy)...I'm not totally sure. Anyway.. she/he gave it his best athletic chin up performance and the feeder closed down ... darn it.  I still want Flickers and Jays to be able to get some seeds... so I will have to figure out weights ..

He did immediately look around on the ground under it and got some for sure.... they are messy little guys, those chickadees and sparrows... and...a nuthatch and a Mr. Chirpy (that would be a house finch for those that didn't see my other post)...  so far that is what I've seen hanging around.  He also hung around for ants and other little tasty bits in the dirt in the garden.

The next day he came again... but, I looked closer, and, well, it isn't the same one.  Anyway... this time he didn't bother with the feeder... but, hopped right onto the edge of the bird bath.

I think somebody's Mummy forgot to tell this poor guy that he isn't a sparrow.  He tried to talk with them... but, they weren't having any of it.  In they jumped and splashed water all over him... how rude...

He tried to fend off the major splashes... ... but, they just kept at it..

Finally it got to be too much...

He cannonballed 'em.... hahhahah...they got outta there!! That guy on the right looks like a flying lobster!

But, they disappeared and then he was all alone.  He just sat there looking around....
One of them hid out under the bath...

Hey, where did you guys go??...

He played quietly for a bit...then sat there some more...in the middle of the bath... all alone....
Finally, one little sparrow showed up and they had a chat...

Then, a second came and the Flicker hopped out to give them room......
 In they both went.

And, then..... a whole flock of them started hopping in and out of the water ... I think he felt a bit overwhelmed .. he flew off and left them to their own wild splashing...

By the time they finished...I had to add more water!

If you want to see other birds and lots of great photography, check out Wild Bird Wednesday... click on the badge below.

Wild Bird Wednesday

.... and, ........I don't have anything exotic or unusual this week.  Nope.  Just some run-of-the-mill, everyday, house sparrows.

But....I have to say...they are a pretty interesting and cute bunch of guys ...and gals too I guess.  I love their antics.

Seeing as I am not a bird watching connoisseur ....I haven't a clue really about gender, etc..  But, there are various colourations, and maybe even a few different types... who knows?  Not me... but, you might.... so, let me know if you have specific information.

Meantime... to see them larger ..."biggify" by clicking on the pics....

Checking for danger before having a bath......

Oooooh ....it's cold....... and, ....kinda deep...........it's already up to my feathers..... !!

Alright then... perhaps a face wash at the very least......


Hey!  who's that interrupting my fun? ......

What the? .... where did THEY all come from?........

Brother........

If you want to see all sorts of exotic and beautiful birds ...and some absolutely amazing photography .... head on over to Wild Bird Wednesday.... just click on the badge below...