New Winter Visitors to the Yard

 On this particular day, an Eastern Towhee was partaking of the water in my birdbath.  This was the first time I had witnessed this bird in the yard in a very long time.  Some days are incredibly surprising as to which birds you might have the opportunity to see in your own yard.  I love this and I usually have the good fortune to see more than one new one on these special days.
The Red-breasted Nuthatch with his cute little chatter caught my eye flying from the tree to the seed feeder.  He brought friends and several entertained me flying back and forth so quickly my eyes were having a hard time following them. I had never seen him in the yard.
Later on the same day I looked out my window and on the tree snag sat a Wren. This was not my usual little Carolina Wren. I had never seen this wren at my house. This was a House Wren. It is a common wren seen in this part of the country but new to my yard. Wow! I felt so happy to be given the opportunity to witness new visitors.  I had read that other Bird watchers had Hummingbirds staying over in the winter but this had not happened to me. Well, What a surprise, a female Rufous Hummingbird stop by my flowers and nectar and decide to stay. She is still here. I see her most days. If you are a Birder and I assume you are interested in birds or you would not enjoy my blog, I call this day"awesome". Stay tuned for new birding adventures as my husband and I will be moving into a new area and new birds will come to visit. 

More Birds of My Backyard!

Birds of my Backyard!

 This fall day was beautiful. I had noticed much bird activity in the yard. I could look out a window or door and see birds eating, bathing, flying or simply sitting in a tree. I love this activity and find it impossible not to grab my camera, open a window or set up my tripod on the porch. This day seemed a perfect opportunity to record the birds in my backyard. The surprise of the day was a parakeet at the bird bath. I saw a flash of green as he flew to the nearby bush. I could not identify until he was sitting at the water. We had two "love birds' at the bath last year. They were so cute and just kept kissing and sitting very close together. I imagine they escaped their home or were let out accidentally.  Our Thrashers are always a welcome bird. The are not as shy as they have been in past years. The white-throated and the Chipping Sparrows have arrived in the last few days. The Yellow-rumped Warblers are beautiful little birds. I was surprised that I did not see a Pine Warbler. We usually have several around this time of year. I heard the Eastern Phoebe many times but was unable to photograph her. The Crows are still devouring our pecans. I declined the photo "op" of these big guys. There are at least 6 Blue Jays screaming and calling to each other. They are frequent at the water bath, bullying others.  I counted at least 14 birds in a couple of hours. I have heard "give them food and they will come" I say,"Give them water and you will see more birds". The Starling was in beautiful light. Blessings to all! Thanks for stopping by!

Osprey

 The stars aligned, my Lord blessed and the camera focused.  I was so excited that I was shaking as I put the camera up and brought this great bird into focus. We have been seeing this Osprey almost everyday as we travel to our property. He sits looking for fish on Lake Conroe. We have also witnessed him diving into the water in all his majestic beauty. My husband and I have both spent much time thinking how we might catch a photo on such a busy road.  Today I was alone, my husband was overseeing the work happening at our new home. I noticed as I came upon the bridge where we look for our Osprey that the traffic was unusually light. I drove by, saw our friend, pulled in to a drive nearby and waited till there was not a car coming in either direction, Unbelievable.......this was an extremely rare circumstance.  I was Blessed!!!  I love the intense way this bird looked straight at me.