Birds Cabin Fever Edition - Backyard Birds

[freddijay]

My wife is 19 days out from a total knee replacement so we aren't getting out much. I've been sitting out on our back patio and trying to catch the local birds in the natural space behind our house. I call it our "backyard" but our true back area is about a foot deep with a common area beyond that. We have feeders in a small pine tree and lots of birds will come and sit in the tree before dropping down to the feeders. All the local finches, juncos, doves, robins, chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, etc. come around to check out the menu at one time or another. Right now, we have mostly finches and mallards. We feed the mallards cracked corn as they nest close by and often will bring their newly-hatched broods around for a snack in the beginning of summer. Right now, they're laying eggs and fattening up on the corn. The American Goldfinches are in varying stages of molting. Some are almost completely finished and others not so much. The male Cassin's Finch is part of a group we've had for most of the winter. We usually just have House Finches but the heavy snows in the mountains this winter may have driven the Cassin's down in altitude. The Say's Phoebes actually hang out in our front yard but I threw one in just for variety. What we have tons of are the House Finches as shown by the female in the last image. We had a Pine Warbler show up one winter and stay with us for over two months. All the local birders came around to see him while he was here. We used to get Wilson's Snipes in the drainage ditch behind the house but, sadly, none has shown this season.

 

[Kamoshika]

That's quite the variety. Hope you wife heals quickly.

 

[freddijay]

Thank you. She's doing very well and we hope to be out on birding and photography expeditions by late spring.

 

[Kerro]

Wow Fred, thats an amazing number of birds for, in your "backyard".
My "backyard" in Mandurah is about 10 mins walk to the estuary which is home to hundreds of Pelicans,
Cormorants and Blue Heron. Now we are coming into spring here we will get to see the nesting Ospreys.
They are a sight to behold when you see 4 of them fishing. Hoping to get some great shots this year with the R5.
I love your part of the world. I was in Denver last year for 2 months. Would love to live there, especially Boulder.

Kerro