Purple Finch – Mars, PA June 2017
Brilliant Bird Banter.
Rise early.
Sing a joyful tune.
Share with your friends.
Spread your wings and soar.
Spend time in the woods.
Make a cozy nest.
(This is just one of the many beautiful purple finches that visit our backyard. He’s enjoying a sunflower seed from a feeder that hangs on our deck. We so enjoy sharing our woods and yard with our bird friends, and we can learn a lot from them too!)
Cheers & Chirps,
Jodi
Curious the Purple Finch, Mars, PA
I have to admit I have officially become a “bird nerd!”
After sharing Happy, My Blue Bird of Happiness yesterday (well officially an Indigo Bunting, but I like to give most everyone a name), and sharing what a stand out he is among the crowd, I thought I’d share some more of my feathered friends with you today from our little backyard sanctuary.
From hummingbirds that are only about an inch and a half long…
Hummer the Hummingbird, Mars, PA
to Woody, the Pileated Woodpecker who is about a foot and a half long…
Woody the Pileated Woodpecker, Mars, PA
our backyard is just chirping with charming chatterboxes.
Here is where we all hang out. I took a few pictures very early yesterday morning, while the dew was still dancing and the sun was just summoning its presence for the day.
Our back deck is southern facing, so it is warmed up quickly when the sun rises and is shaded by late afternoon when the sun is hottest.
I am still patiently waiting for the birds to discover they can bathe in the bird bath.
And when the sun gets too hot, we can round the bend to the side of the house for shade…
where it is undercover, and we can sit in cushioned comfort.
Even Charlie likes a break from the sunshine sometimes.
The birds come out rain…
Male Cardinal, Rainy Day, Mars, PA
or shine.
Female Cardinal, Sunny Morning, Mars, PA
Mr Rose-Breasted Grosbeak always dresses for breakfast and dinner in his finest formal wear…
Male Grosbeak, Mars, PA
and carefully watches over the little Mrs.
Female Grosbreak, Mars, PA
There are many more – the sparrows and cowbirds, the bluejays and the goldfinches, the warblers and the nuthatches. There is a wide variety of woodpeckers and a huge extended family of mourning doves. An occasional blackbird stops by, the robins romp about, and we are always excited to see a Baltimore Oriole hang out for a while.
We sure love our winged wanderers and welcome them with wonderment.
I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse before you fly away to go about your day.
Cherish the moments!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
PS – If you too flock to the flight of fledglings, check out my blogging friend, Kathy’s site: Backyard Bird Nerd. Kathy regularly posts photos of the birds that are lucky enough to call her backyard home.
I was so excited to buy an Oriole feeder for the hubby for Father’s Day [ahem], so we he could watch the beautiful orange birds that we have occasionally seen in our backyard.
That first day we hung it out, this beautiful young fledgling appeared.
“Score!” I thought. And a Big Woohoo!
But, alas, we poor hubby hasn’t seen another since.
I guess they moved on to Baltimore with those silly Ravens… (Football (Steelers!) fans – you know what I am talking about here.)
But………
the hummingbirds are enjoying it!
And so are we is hubby…
(ok – maybe that Father’s Day present was a little for Momma too – tee hee hee!)
But mostly – it’s all for the birds!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
This week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is “Muse.”
The goal is to post a photo of a subject that keeps you coming back? I have to admit… I’ve become a bit of a “backyard bird nerd.” So I thought an appropriate photo(s) to share would be one from our backyard menagerie.
Brown Headed Cowbird, Mars, PA
The brown-headed cowbird is another member of the menagerie that hangs out in our backyard. Our son Nick claims this is his favorite.
The cool thing about this bird is the iridescent nature of its silky black body. Sometimes he looks blue or purple depending on the lighting or angle. Such a beauty he is – eh?
The other day when it was pouring down rain, he was perched so regally above the feeder with the rain just rolling off his slick, drenched feathers.
He didn’t seem to mind at all, and I thought about the great lessons we can learn from nature…
about letting go of negative…
letting adversity just roll off our backs…
standing tall and proud no matter the circumstances….
looking good even with wet hair… 😉
Singing and dancing in the rain…
Thanks Mr. Cowbird!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 