Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.

Tag Archives: birds


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By way of spreading joy

A week ago today I took three people to Kensington to feed the birds. They had never done that before but they’d heard about it and wanted to have the experience.

Hey, toss that peanut over here!

They had to drive almost 2 hours but they thought it was worth it. I do too. Though we arrived early in the morning, when the birds are most likely to be hungry, we weren’t inundated with begging feathered ones. But we had our fair share.

It rained all night and I’m not looking my best, but I sure am hungry!

Mostly it was the woodpeckers, in different varieties that were interested in us. Though an occasional red-winged blackbird stopped by.

I’m really interested in that peanut you have, could you toss it here?

And the bluejays were always nearby.

I’m faster than any darn woodpecker, just watch me!

In fact this visit turned into a ‘toss a peanut’ experience. The red-bellied and the red-headed woodpeckers and of course the bluejays are all very talented at plucking a tossed peanut out of the sky.

We spent much of our walk through the woods tossing peanuts into the air where they were eagerly snatched by a winged one.

Got it!

And of course we walked out onto the boardwalk to check on the blue heron rookery.

Ms. Red-winged was startled as we walked by.

The heron babies are now teenagers, testing their wings and making a great deal of noise whenever an adult ventures by. Just in case there might be breakfast arriving.

I can flap my wings faster than you. Oh will you two just settle down? I’m trying to nap here.

All in all, though we weren’t swarmed by birds I think everybody had a great time and I hope they come back for another adventure!

Thanks for the peanut! See ya next time!


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Because you can’t have too many birds

A week ago I had the chance to go to Kensington, one of my favorite places in the world. It was a beautiful, sunny day.

You brought breakfast, right lady?

The birds weren’t crazy hungry and we weren’t overrun by little ones, but we had our fair share of visitors demanding a treat.

I’m not touching your hand, but I’ll clean up anything you drop.

My sister and I had been there before, a few years ago and she was used to having birds fly down to her hand, but it was still magical. It always is.

Excellent seed quality, lady!

Her friend had never been there before so this was a new experience. He figured out that he could toss a peanut up in the air and the red bellied woodpeckers and the blue jays would both fly out from the trees and catch that peanut in the air.

Toss that peanut, Mr!

They were successful grabbing the nut about 99% of the time.

I can get that peanut faster than you two!

He also got an up close and personal viewing of several sandhill cranes. We didn’t feed them, but they were hopeful and followed us around on the trail.

What you lookin at?

The heron rookery was full of expectant parents. Though I’m sure there are eggs or maybe even youngsters up in those big nests we couldn’t see any yet.

Everybody is waiting.

Ms. Swan built her nest very near the boardwalk this year. I’m sure every photographer has a great image of mom waiting patiently on her nest. By this week there could be babies and the usual paparazzi shooting baby pictures.

Big stretch while on the job.

I doubt I’ll get out there again soon, but I sure enjoyed my spring walk with family through such a beautiful place. I hope you enjoyed these images too.

Singing oriole overhead.


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The orioles are back!

Historically the orioles (bright orange migrating birds) come back to my feeder from their winters in South America about (and almost always ON) May 5th.

I would like to announce my arrival, lady!

This year people were reporting them returning to their yards in lower Michigan at the end of April. So I put my oriole feeder out then. And then I waited. Every day I thought “this will be the day.”

Have you filled my royal feeder with my royal jelly?

And suddenly it was. My first sighting was May 1st and I was very excited. He was extra hungry and between him and the house finches I started going through a lot of jelly. Of course I didn’t mind at all.

Wrong feeder

Today I figured out there are actually two males. And possibly two females now. Though today I saw a picture online by a bird photographer who does a lot of educating with her images. She said her photograph was probably a young male, perhaps last years youngster. She said they look like females but have more black on them, like a male.

Ahhhh…this is more like it.

So now I’m considering that the two ‘females’ I’ve had might just be last year baby boys. That would make sense, as the males always arrive first.

A female? Or a young male? I think young male.

Either way the four of them have been at the feeder all day, every day since at least the 5th. AND I also get hummingbirds the next day (the 6th) of May, and a rose breasted gross beak!

Ahem….what have you planned for MY dinner?

The hummers and the gross beak arrived a day late, but I was just as happy to see them.

I hope she has safflower seed for me. That’s my favorite.

I don’t have an image of the male hummingbird yet, he’s very skittish. But the gross beak has always been something of a photo hog. He’s not skittish at all, as long as you move slowly. And your dog doesn’t bark.

But hey, grape jelly might be better!

The same day that the gross beak and the hummer arrived I saw a catbird, also a migrating bird that isn’t here in the winter.

Hey! Don’t be so grumpy. It’s OK to share a little of your royal jelly.

And across the street in the pond was an egret. Though my pictures of that bird are just bad. I always have trouble with the bright white of egrets. I know I’ll have more opportunities so I’ll wait until I get a better image before I share.

Catbird, not an oriole.

BUT, I have to say that the 5th and 6th were very big bird days in and around my yard!

Red bellied woodpecker also likes grape jelly.

All the photos here were taken through a window, working through reflections and grime. But I didn’t care, I was just thrilled to see them all.


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Experimenting with flight

No, not my flight, though when I was young I did think I’d like to fly a plane, and when I was even younger I used to dream that I could fly like a bird.

This is the scene from the window and what I had to shoot around.

No, this morning I put some peanuts in the flat feeder, and that quickly brought in my merry band of noisy bluejays. I swear they sit up in the trees and wait for me to fill the feeders. They always arrive immediately and with great fanfare.

Trying to focus on the bird among the branches.

And while I was standing at the window, watching them come and go in the morning light, I realized I could try to capture their flight. They were much too busy hogging the peanuts to notice me.

He has 3 peanuts in his beak and more in his throat. But he’s not really in focus.

You need a very short shutter speed to stop those wings in mid-flight, at least 1/2000 per second. If there is sunlight that’s easier to accomplish.

Coming and going.

I took 84 images before the sun was hidden by the clouds of the latest incoming storm front. Out of that barely a handful are passable. But I learned a lot and some day I will try again.

My favorite image.

I’m sharing them with you now, because bluejays, no matter the fact they are obnoxious, are truly beautiful.

Beauty in motion.

Even if they are little pigs.


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Visitor

I haven’t seen one of these in my yard in years. But yesterday afternoon she arrived.

My first glimpse of this female pileated woodpecker.

And she wasn’t here very long, just checking out the stumps of trees we had to cut down.

She posed for me for an instant.

And then she was gone.

It’s just pure luck I happened to look outside while she was here. And that my camera was next to me when I did.

“I’m outta here!”


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And the rest of the birds

Well, I left you on the trails in the woods of Kensington quite a long time ago. You’ve likely forgotten I left you stranded there, what with the red winged interruption and then of course Penny’s Wordless Wednesday.

There’s a lot going on here in Penny’s house and I’ve been too busy to finish up my walk with you and my birds, so let me just say the last few birds I met along the trail were all turkeys.

Where there’s one, there’s always another following.

Literally.

But here are a few of my favorite bird pictures from that walk. It all feels so long ago, but I hope they conjure up a beautiful day in the woods for all of you.

They do for me.

A bouncy nuthatch.

A curious titmouse.

A patient chickadee.

An ever observant bluejay.

Turkey colors.

That’s it for me for awhile. When things settle down some I’m sure I’ll be back. Meanwhile, spend some time outside, finding your own special places and post. I just might find time to stop in for a pick-me-up!


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Announcement

We interrupt our tour of magical Kensington to announce that spring has officially arrived here in Southeastern Michigan. OK, it’s 30 degrees out with a stiff wind and snow lightly falling.

But it’s spring. Trust me on this.

Wait. That’s the wrong image. One moment please…

…try now…

What? You don’t see anything? How about now?

Well yes, that IS a goldfinch who MIGHT have a yellow feather showing, but no, what about the big black blob? What do you see?

Maybe this is better?

Yes! It is indeed our very first red-winged blackbird scout of the season! Give that bird a gold medal, he’s arrived early and the weather is clearly not in his favor. In fact we had a hail storm only two days ago. I hope he managed to avoid it.

I saw him for the first time on Thursday (day before yesterday), but I was on the phone and not close to my camera. I got a very poor image of him with the phone. But I shared it extensively with my bird friends here. Almost all of them had seen one in their yards that day too!

Yesterday (Friday) he stopped by again. The images in this post are from Friday’s visit.

I had filled all six feeders for him in the hopes he’d eat something. It was a very windy day and he was very hesitant. He slowly worked his way out from the safety of the middle of the beech tree, watching all the other birds eating. Clearly he was interested.

And then he made his move.

I hope he’s here to stay. I haven’t even heard the distinctive red-winged blackbird call yet. But I hope he starts calling in all of his friends so we know he is more than a fluke!

And I’m glad we were able to give him some food and water if he’s headed further north. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see if he stops by again.

Happy Spring everybody!

Edit: He’s here right now, eating at the flat feeder! So maybe he’s really going to stick around!