American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin and Dark-eyed Junco

I have been thinking about this hundreds of and I do mean hundreds of American Goldfinch inhabiting our property from early morning till late evening.  We have about 9 feeders that we fill everyday.  Many days we fill some more than once.  We also put seed on the ground and in a platform feeder. The population has continued to grow over the last several weeks.  The movement on the ground and in the yard is incredible.  I will be trying to observe other birds but find the finches are a big distraction.  We have one feeder that the birds continually battle with each other. My photos will show the way these guys bully, fight and dive at one another. It is amazing to see how "tempers flair".  We have enjoyed one Pine Siskin and one Dark-eyed Junco for the last week or so. The Goldfinches, Pine Siskin, and Dark-eyed Junco belong to the Fringillidae family of birds.  Worldwide, there are 151 species in this family.  Twenty three of these are in North America.  They are also Passeriformes, or perching birds. They are also called passerines. Passeriformes represent the largest order of birds. Texas is one of the states that provide winter home for the American Goldfinch.  I have never fed this many in the winter. I find this interesting. We are having more winter here in the Lone Star State! Many years I have seen as many Pine Siskin as Goldfinch. This year only one Pine Siskin to date. Juncos are usually in groups also.  We have just one in our yard. Information to ponder! Blessings!

Marsh Wren "Lifer"

This small 41/2 to 5" bird brought much excitement to our world.  It was new to our "Life" list of birds. This is always exciting to a birder.  We love to identify and make ours a new bird.  The Marsh wren was ours on this day. The black cap and white eye stripe were indeed striking.  We chased this little bird with our camera for as long as he stayed, which was not long.  The first short sighting yielded no photos.  We did get photos on his second visit for a positive identification.  The Marsh Wren forages for food in tall marsh grasses and reeds. It gleans aquatic insects, larvae, caterpillars, snails and sometimes other bird's eggs. I do not believe this wren stopped moving for the entire duration of the visit.  It was  flitting through the grasses and reeds constantly. I still visualize the beautiful markings of this Wren. A new joy in my world of birding! I am thankful for the sighting and relieved to capture his identity. Blessings!

The Solitary American Bittern

This was not my first encounter with the American Bittern. My first up close view of this bird was several years ago. This "dude" is memorable in my birding world.  I was looking forward to another opportunity to see and photograph him on our annual new year birding trip. A prayer never hurts, I do this when I am yearning to see a bird I know should be in the area we are in.  I have been highly favored many times and I am thankful for the blessing.  I must say that we saw about 50 or so birds this New Year's Eve Day.  We were in one of our Texas State Parks that we love.  I found it very interesting that small birds like the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Yellow-rump Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Common Yellowthroat Warbler, and others were flying by or landing close to us as we walked along the marshy lakes.  My husband, JG, alerted me when he saw the Bittern coming toward us.  The rather large bird caught my eye with its stalking movement.  Bitterns winter along the coast where the waters will not freeze. They primarily eat insects, fish, crustaceans, reptiles and small mammals. They forage for food by wading in shallow water. These birds will typically be solitary and hunt in low light  catching food with their bill and killing prey with biting or shaking movements.  I thought it so interesting how his whole body seem to have a wave motion as he moved.  Needless to say, another awesome "birding" day! Blessings!