SeVeN » Birds

Harley – Cam: Re-located

SeVeN — Fri, 23 May 2008 00:12:45 +0000

If you are a regular Harley-Cam viewer you may have noticed that we have been moving the camera around. Now that it is spring (maybe – it snowed today), Harley doesn’t hang in the house much. We also thought it might be fun to show off some of our other pets. The camera is currently positioned at one of the living room windows and aimed at a hummingbird feeder. There is also a pair of Orioles who hang around in the morning.

Enjoy

Update: Our beloved Harley passed away this June. We haven’t been able to figure out what to do with the camera since.

Downy Woodpecker

SeVeN — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 16:55:43 +0000

With the arrival of winter, the majority of birds leave us and migrate to warmer climates. We are usually left with a large flock of Black-Capped Chickadees, Magpies and one or two woodpeckers. This photo is of a male Downy-Woodpecker. He shows up sporadically throughout the year; taking a few sunflower seeds from the feeder and hiding them in an old stump in the yard. The chickadees are onto him though and can be seen pillaging his stash.
(click on the photo for a larger image)

White-Crowned Sparrow

SeVeN — Sat, 05 May 2007 22:23:52 +0000

It’s been a typical Rocky Mountain spring day; a little rain, some snow, and grey clouds with a spattering of sunshine. Kind of a stay inside and look out the windows sort of day. And I am glad I looked out the windows. Today we had three White-crowned Sparrows show up; two males and a female. They seem to like the ground cover that grows in the driveway.They look just like a regular sparrow except for the white stripes on their head.

This picture was taken last spring and isn’t all that great. They don’t sit still for very long and I have yet to see one come to the feeder. It appears that they prefer to forage on the ground. Definately a cute little bird.

Going to the Birds

SeVeN — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 04:06:22 +0000

I live in a pretty nifty location; almost 2 acres with a creek flowing through the property and a lot of willows. It’s a perfect little patch of birdie heaven. I also have feeders around the house filled with enticing sunflower and thistle seed. So far I have been able to identify approximately 20 different species of birds that have come to the yard. Some of them stay around for a season and some just stay a few days. Suffice it to say that I like watching the birds and a new sighting is cause for celebration. The Sibley Guide to North American Birds and the binoculars are always within reach. The best part is when someone asks, “What kind of bird is that”?, I can usually tell them.

My favorite “Bird of the Yard” is the Black-Capped Chickadee. These little guys use the willows as their winter shelter and will congregate in a flock of 20-30 birds. All winter long they will stay and endure the wicked cold temperatures, gail force winds and blinding snow.They spend their days flying from willow to feeder back to willow, cracking open one seed at a time. They blend in with their surroundings quite well, however, the distinctive chickadee-dee-dee song is unmistakeable.

Once spring arrives and food becomes more available the flock will thin out and only a few birds will remain throughout the summer. What I love most about these little birds is that they don’t get freaked out if you are close to the feeder. If you stand still they will continue with their feeding and actually check you out.