Winter Backyard Birding

Today turned out to be a huge day in my backyard! With the falling temperatures in the Louisville area, the birds had to find food and water! I decided to buy a birdbath heater this year, and I'm glad I did. It has performed very well thus far. This morning it was nine degrees, and although a great deal of it did freeze, there was a small area around the heating element that was open water. The birds really responded! I think they appreciated some fresh, non frozen water to drink!



Northern Cardinal (female)

European Starling

Mourning Dove

I happened to notice a very small bird very high in my Maple tree. When I got a closer look, I could see it was a Golden-crowned Kinglet! This photo is somewhat blurry, but it gives you an idea of what he looks like. He also moves around very fast and erratically. I believe he was coming to the Maple tree to drink sap that was seeping out of the branches. He would come to the Maple for a few minutes then fly off to a pine tree in the neighbors yard! He did this several times throughout the day! 

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Another highlight from the day was the Red-breasted Nuthatch! These guys don't usually come this far south, but with the finch irruption this winter, the Red-breasted Nuthatch, though not a finch, is also a species on the move. I started seeing him in late fall and haven't seen him very often since, but it is my guess that he needed to find another food source with the cold temperatures. 

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Red-breasted Nuthatch

A female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker spent most of the day in the Maple tree drilling sap wells. When another woodpecker would come near, she would chase him off. She didn't seem to mind other birds though. There were many birds and squirrels drinking from these sap wells, including the Red-breasted Nuthatch in the photo below the Sapsucker photo. 

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Red-breasted Nuthatch drinking from sap wells

I have been having a Pine Warbler visiting my feeders since early December. I didn't know what it was for a long time, but I showed the pictures to some of the members of Beckham Bird Club and they felt it was a Pine Warbler. This is a rare bird to be in this area at this time of year. Most Warblers migrate to Central or South America! I am noticing that I usually only see him when it's very cold or very rainy. This makes sense to me, as Warblers tend to mainly eat insects. He seems to like the suet and the black oil sunflower seed!
If you would like to see some of my other pictures of the Pine Warbler, click here. 

Pine Warbler

I ended up seeing 23 different species in my yard today!

Posted in: Backyard Birding,European Starling,Golden-crowned Kinglet,Mourning Dove,Northern Cardinal,Pine Warbler,Red-breasted Nuthatch,Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers

iphone 5 Wallpapers

Hopefully you're getting an iphone 5 for Christmas because I just put together a pack of six awesome wallpapers.  If you already have one it is simple to change your wallpaper image.  To download an image, first click the image to open the gallery, then right-click and select View Image.  Right-click again and select Save Image As to download it.  Then go to Settings > Wallpaper and navigate to the Photo Library.  Your downloaded wallpaper should be there and all you have to do is click Set and you are done.  Or download the wallpaper pack here.  If you like the wallpapers be sure to tell your friends to come to LouisvilleNaturally.com to download them.

Black-crowned Night Heron

Eastern Kingbird

Mourning Dove

Sunlit Grass

Thistle

Yellow Sweet Clover

Posted in: Black-crowned Night Heron,Eastern Kingbird,iphone 5,Mourning Dove,Thistle,wallpaper,Yellow Sweet Clover

Louisville Birds

The weather is starting to change and I've been seeing a few different types of birds around Louisville, but I've only been able to get pictures of the most common birds!  Oh well.  In the last week I've seen several species of sparrows, such as: White-throated, White-crowned, Swamp, Vesper, Lincoln's, and Chipping, along with several Dark-eyed Juncos.  Also saw a Northern Harrier for the first time this season.  So lots of movement lately, especially with the sparrows.  Here are a few of the most common birds in Kentucky I've seen this past week.

Song Sparrow

Mourning Dove

Northern Cardinal

It is getting that time of year when the berries are becoming ripe on the exotic honeysuckle.  I've read where the berries offer very little nutrition for the birds but they sure seem to devour it and defend their honeysuckle patches with determination.  The two Northern Mockingbirds below were fighting over a small patch of honeysuckle berries.

A Northern Mockingbird on his territory...

...a rival is eying his honeysuckle patch...

...they take turns signaling to each other by flashing their tails...

...and when that doesn't resolve the problem they take to the air and battle it out.  These two birds were fighting for some time before the challenger decided it wasn't worth it and flew off. 

Posted in: Mourning Dove,Northern Cardinal,Northern Mockingbird,Song Sparrow

Right at Home

Have you ever been stuck at home, and thought, “I can’t wait to get out of here to go birding”? Well, I’m going to go with the old adage, “Stop and smell the roses”! Sometimes, if we just slow down and take a look around our own yard we can see so many things!

For example, this week I have discovered this little Yellow Rumped Warbler foraging around in a tree in my backyard. I have never seen a Warbler in my yard before!

Yellow Rumped Warbler

Yellow Rumped Warbler

I find House Finches great fun to watch! I have noticed that they will sit at the feeder and break the shells on the blackoil sunflower seed, somehow in their mouth, without ever having to hold it. I haven’t quite figured out how they do it, but it is amazing! I notice Gold Finches do this also.

House Finch

They have been pairing up lately! I thought these two were cute, because it looked like they were “playing coy”, not looking at each other! (They were probably just wishing I would mind my own business!)

House Finches

Here are a few other birds I have seen lately around my yard!

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Carolina Wren

Northern Cardinals

Tufted Titmouse

American Robin

Mourning Dove

Red Tailed Hawk

I also find Carolina Chickadees great fun to watch! They flit around constantly and do not make it easy for photographers! I have noticed they will hit the feeder, grab a seed, and dart away to break it open and eat it, usually on a branch!

Two weeks ago this little guy spent quite a bit of time going from car mirror to car mirror, checking himself out! Perhaps it makes him attractive to females if he is attracted to himself! I finally had to back my car into the driveway so the mirror was in my view, then I spent a lot of time sitting on the porch snapping away, believe me I had quite a few blurs!

Carolina Chickadee

Carolina Chickadee

This week, I have also noticed a White Throated Sparrow hanging around. I think they should be gone by now, or migrating out pretty soon.

White Throated Sparrow

This one doesn’t have as bright of white on his/her head. I thought maybe it was a female, but my Sibley Guide to Birds says, that adults can range from a tan striped to bright white striped head, regardless of sex!

White Throated Sparrow

Squirrels are always so funny! They love to eat birdseed, suet, and well, just about anything a bird would eat! I constantly find them hanging upside down on the feeders, while eating sunflower seed as fast as they can!

Gray Squirrel

Of Course, it doesn’t always have to be about birds, I have caught sight of some other interesting things around my yard. This is one of the blooms on my Lilac bush.

Lilac Bush

This tree is in my backyard. I haven’t decided exactly what kind of tree it is, but I’m thinking a White Willow. It has pretty little white flowers on it in the spring, that the birds like to eat!

This fungus was growing on another tree. I’m not sure what it is, but thought it was pretty!

This guy was sitting on a planter! I again, don’t know what kind of bug he is but I thought he was interesting looking!

This little Rabbit has lived under a pile of brush for a few years now. I recognize him because of his right ear! I'm thinking he had an incident with a lawn mower!

Rabbit

Go out and take a look around your yard, you may be surprised at what you find!

Posted in: American Robin,Carolina Wren,Downy Woodpecker,Hairy Woodpecker,House Finch,Mourning Dove,Northern Cardinal,Red Tailed Hawk,thern Cardinal,Tufted Titmouse,Yellow Rumped Warbler