Our Birds and Critters at the Water!

I once believed that food was the answer to enticing birds to your yard. I still believe this to be true in the winter.  I now realize after many years of providing both water and food, water is the most attractive to all species of birds. The feathered friends arrive early for a drink and in late afternoon compete for a turn to bathe. The Brown Thrasher sneaks in around midday. The Gray catbird prefers late morning.  The Hermit Thrush about 5 p.m. in the winter. As the days lengthen the Thrush will come later around 7 p.m. when there are fewer other birds around.  A few days ago the Eastern Bluebirds arrived around 9 a.m.  They were a beautiful sight to behold.  I have nicknamed the Tufted Titmouse,"Personality Plus". We find great enjoyment from the antics of these little birds. I have shared peanut feeder pictures in another post. Today I am sharing "The Bath". The Cat Squirrel was so cute, I had to include him. Blessings!

Our Tufted Titmice, Blue Jays,Carolina Wrens and Carolina Chickadees have discovered our peanut feeder.  This is a new feeder for us.  The Tufted Titmouse are very persistent when trying to break the shell. He stabs at the roasted peanut shell much like a woodpecker pounds at the tree bark. I watched one day as the Titmouse kept working at a particular peanut. He finally broke the shell enough to retrieve the peanut inside. I can attest to the fact that this little guy worked very hard for his peanut!  I found it amusing to see him with a peanut he could barely carry in his beak.  I captured this scene with my camera.  Today, J. G. stood at the window amused at the sight of five Tufted Titmice competing for their time at the feeder.  I failed to mention that on another day a Carolina Wren and Tufted Titmouse went round and round trying to intimidate one another away from the feeder. They had a difficult time accepting the other, even if the opposing bird was in a different area.  Funny!! Our peanut feeder, needless to say, is a wonderful source of amusement for us and nutritional food for our birds.  Blessings!

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!