Wild Bird Queue

We have hundreds of birds visible from our windows all the time. They sit in the few bushes that are left, on the crossbars of the feeders and in the plum tree. The trees are almost leafless now so they don't have much cover. It is just above freezing today with a stiff breeze . We step out the door for only the essentials...throwing the ball for Spike, taking out the trash, and filling the bird feeders, sometimes twice a day. We go through 40 pounds of birdseed in a month, but it is worth it. We still love watching them. This lot is mostly goldfinches with one grosbeak, or maybe a rufous sided towhee. there are also chickadees, thrushes, woodpeckers, jays, nut hatches and the occasional crested titmouse (my personal favorite).

The goldfinches seem to find safety in numbers for they tend to congregate at certain times. Most of the others are loners or pairs. The water in the birdbath was frozen this morning, but as soon we put fresh water in it they were splashing away with hilarious abandon.

The acorn woodpeckers look like clowns but they are large and clear the feeders when one of them flies in, but the downy woodpeckers are small, the ladder backs are striking and they both seem fairly mild mannered and will sometimes even share.

When a hawk flies over they scatter in an instant, but none of them seem particularly bothered by Spike or us.

Every once in awhile a grey squirrel drops by, but they are less frequent visitors now that there are no branches from which to drop to the top of the dome. I expect they'll figure something out before long.

Watching them gives a sense of normalcy and hope that as long as we put seeds out, they will continue to entertain us.

I checked out this challenge for the first time time and it is #300. Thanks for hosting, Cailleach.