My Feathered Friends

Downy woodpecker with dark-eyed junco behind

 

A couple of years ago a friend gave me a finch sock filled with Njer seed late in the winter, and I hung it from one of the branches of the cherry tree in front of my house. It took the local finches almost a week to realize there was food there and start coming regularly, but once they discovered it, the birds kept coming back. When the seed was all gone, I bought more and replenished it until spring.

I enjoy bird watching, and feel fortunate to live in an area where we have such a large variety of species that live here year-round, with many more that migrate through every spring and fall. The large oaks in back of our house provide perches for so many birds, it's like having my own living nature show. But having a feeder has made it more fun because now I can see them at closer ranges. 

 

Downy woodpecker

 

I decided to expand my bird watching opportunities this winter by adding a bird seed Christmas ornament. I hung it up this week, and it's attracted more birds than I could ever have imagined! This downy woodpecker, which I see regularly on the big oaks in back through my binoculars, was so starved that he stayed at the seed stocking for a long time, while smaller birds congregated around him.

Titmouse at feeder

The moment the downy woodpecker left, one of the titmice from a group of four that had been on nearby branches waiting, descended upon the stocking, and they all took their turn. Our resident cardinals showed up too, but the other birds were so aggressive, they didn't stand a chance. Eventually they got tired of waiting and left.

 

Male house finch

Meanwhile, groups of finches perched on the finch sock, taking turns. You can see how much the sock has been depleted in just the past week. I've had as many as three at one time perched on the sock, but didn't manage to get a good shot of them--both gold finches and house finches. The dark-eyed juncos congregated, too, on the tree but mostly on the ground, looking for any seeds that the finches may have dropped.

I set up my camera with the telephoto lens on a tripod by the front door, taking these photos through the glass storm door. Unfortunately, the glass fogs up after a while and makes it difficult to get a clear shot. I have to close the door and wait for a while until the glass clears up again.

Black-capped chickadee

The black-capped chickadees were the last to show up--they came in the afternoon. The downy woodpecker returned the following day and stripped most of the remaining sunflower seeds, and the titmice and chickadees have been making the most of the remaining seeds on the tree ornament. It will probably be completely stripped by this evening, but no sweat, I have two more replacements. My cherry tree has become a beacon for the local birds!