Therapeutic Thirteen

The temperatures today were in the low fifties (F) which felt positively balmy.  So much so, in fact, that after a trip to the gym, I spent several hours outside. Of course, better weather meant far fewer birds at the feeders and less for me to aim my lens towards.  In fact, I was ready to call it a day and go with a cute little chickadee (click HERE to view) when I suddenly saw a female Purple Finch land on the cherry tree.  It has been several months since the big waves of purple finches came through so I was surprised to see her.  She didn't stay long - in fact, I managed to shots before she dropped down to a feeder, munched some seeds, and then left.  

She may look, at first glance, like a rather plain brown bird.  But look closely and you'll see some lovely bits of yellow on her face and shoulders.  Like many seemingly plain birds, she is actually quite pretty when you take time to really see her.  So, she's #13 in my 2019 Yard Birds on Blip; hopefully I will be able to add the male later as he's a rather spectacular little bird.

While I was outside, a sharp-shinned hawk came zooming through the yard scattering the few birds that were at the feeders in all directions.  She landed on the maple tree next to the deck with the sun directly behind her so no chance for shots.  But she was easy to recognize by her long skinny legs and overall shape.  Yard first for this year.  

I shall be reporting in from Florida tomorrow.  Sefferdog is collecting me at the airport and we are headed straight to one of our favorite wetlands area for an afternoon of photos. Who knows what will throw itself in front of our lenses...

xo
Debbi