Feed the Birds....an update!.....by (Angela) Jean

Hello! Happy New Year! Long time no write. Sorry about that, but hey, you were probably too busy to read blogs anyway, right?

Remember a while back I wrote this post about building a bird feeder with my Dad? Well, I thought you must be dying of suspense wondering if the birds ever came, so here I am, providing you with a little update.

For weeks there was no action at the feeder. Zilch. Amelia even made a sign welcoming the birds, which sadly, I didn't take a photo of before it got rained all over, but still nothing.

Finally, about 3 weeks after the feeder was up we saw our first bird...a House Finch!

Mr. House Finch

I have been trying ever since to get some decent photos of the birds, and let me tell you, that is no easy feat. Those little devils are skittish! When I'm feeling inspired I set the camera up on a tripod just inside the window, and then hide out quite far from the window so the birds can't see me.

Mr. & Mrs. House Finch

This is where my camera remote comes in really handy. I just wait until they land and then shoot like crazy and hope I get something decent. Amelia also loves this job. This evening she took these shots of the Juncos.

 We have all been having such fun watching the birds.

They are cute, and hoppy, and pecky. It's great. We love watching them break open the seeds with their beaks and we try to guess which seeds each bird likes best. It's also amazing to me that I can't recall ever seeing a Junco or a House Finch in our backyard until now.

We also have acquired a lovely pair of Mourning Doves.

These guys don't spend any time on the feeder (that we have witnessed anyway) but they eat the seeds that have fallen to the ground and they spend most of the day sunning themselves on the fence. We've seen a few Chickadees which I have been unable to photograph, but we are still waiting for an appearance by our beloved Gold Finches.


But most entertaining by far, have been our new best friends.

Walnut the Black Squirrel

Peanut the Grey Squirrel

We were under no illusion that this feeder was squirrel proof, and so far I'm happy to feed the little guys. We have even from time to time, put a few walnuts on top of the feeder just to watch them do their acrobatics.

My Dad thinks I'm crazy. I believe his exact words were "Well, Angela, now you've really done it. Those squirrels are yours forever. They'll be knocking on your door to ask:

Hey Lady! Where are my walnuts?