Thursday, April 29, 2010

Little Tweets That Come Calling



I was inspired by a fellow blogger to share some photos of birds that visit our feeders. The quality of my images are poor for a couple of reasons.. 1) My camera is dated and not high end and 2) Some opportunities to take photos mean you get what you can when you can. My longing for a new camera that can take detailed close-up shots is just that. My budget does not allow for every luxury that my heart desires. And so it goes....

I even made a little 15 second movie of our hummingbirds since I didn't have a good photo of them. I used my iMovie software for the first time in many years. The quality is so bad but I did manage to add a theme, a title and some music. So, at the risk of presenting crappy images, here are some of the birds we've enjoyed at our feeders.

I wish I could show you what I get to see from my dining room window. One day, I happened to wander over to the window while talking on the phone and witnessed a Bald Eagle coming down to the water's surface, talons extended and he ever so gracefully plucked a fish from the river and flew off with it. We also see osprey hovering over the river in search of food and then watch him dive bomb into the water and fly off with a struggling fish. Funny to see the osprey fighting to keep a firm hold and find a place to land so he can eat his catch.

We have a number of ducks that pass through in the spring, some I have yet to identify. One type looks like a loon and another which is similar but larger with a reddish orange beak. The females are a drab brown. I think they may be common mergansers. Then there are the Blue Heron's which I have yet to see at the river. I believe they'll show up a bit later in the spring.

Other wildlife I've seen here are coyotes, pheasants, fox, deer, moose. There are bears in the area but I've not seen one yet. And a good thing, too. Some summer evenings, I'll hear a little fox crying out, making the strangest sounds and as for the coyotes, well... I'm not too keen on hearing them howling. On a nature walk a couple of years ago, we were stalked by a pair of coyotes. They were huge. Why do I get the feeling I wrote all this here in my blog before?



The Chickadees don't seem to mind the watchful eye of CeCe!



The coo-ing sound of the Mourning Dove is always welcome.



Seeing these Red Grosbeaks at our feeder was an unexpected treat.



These Evening Grosbeaks were an even more unexpected treat. They're so beautiful!





The Bluejay has always been one of my favourite birds.

4 comments:

  1. Excellent pics. Love those red Grosbeaks!
    This spring we've had the bluejays, of course, blackbirds, grackles, goldfinches, doves, and sundry small types of sparrows/finches.
    Birdwatching is so enjoyable, isn't it, and the cats love it, too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh wow!!! You have sooo many varieties of birds over your way. Lovely pictures.... :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great photos! Such beautiful birds... amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. P.S.
    I think one or two of those hummingbirds were at my house a few weeks ago...

    ReplyDelete