Cardinals

We get a lot of cardinals, but I read that they get territorial in mid summer when they nest, so some of them will get driven off.

I also read that the male will feed the female not only when she's on the nest, but anytime he's driven to. So I watched them more and saw it happen several times. I wanted to get a photo of it but it happens so quickly. The closest I came was when he just did it and their beaks are still very close.

Hummmm

I think these are male and female Ruby Throated Hummingbirds. We get more than one pair.

When I'm out on the deck taking care of the flowers I hear that Humm or Buzz sound they make, like a huge bumble bee only louder.
If I'm real still sometimes they will fly up to my face to check me out before they decide it's alright to go to the feeder or the flowers nearby. They are precious.

Sometimes one will come and knock another off the feeder and I hear little chirps.

Assorted Birds

We have a variety of birds visiting our yard so I will be showing a few of them at a time.

Downy Woodpecker w/ Chipping Sparrow, Grey Tufted Titmouse, Nuthatch

Someone's Always Watching You

That's what my mom always reminded us kids when I was growing up. She was meaning God. I, in turn, always told my daughter that, meaning God and anyone else that we may not notice, and (in this day and age) even surveillance cameras.

Well, we have a pair of strange Cowbirds. In April this pair started perching on our deck rail right beside our picture window or on the hummingbird feeder hook that is suctioned to the window. Then they would constantly fly at the window. But not just fly at it, they would flutter up and down the height of it, tapping or pecking at the window 4 or 5 times as they did. If they thought their reflection was another bird they were fighting with I would think they would be more aggressive, but they just gently tapped at the window as they fluttered up and down. It was driving me crazy because it went on all day every day. After a month they shifted their interest to the sliding door off the dining room. They would sit just outside it and peer in, occasionally tapping. I could always feel their eyes on me. Even when it rained they'd be there, looking so pitiful. I came very close to letting them come in.

Another strange thing I noticed is that every 20 seconds (I timed it) the male would puff up and let out a strange noise and sway off balance, then the female would chirp at him. I began to wonder if he had some kind of mental or neurological defect and was staying at our door asking us for help. I know, that's a childish thought, but they were in my face for so long I began to humanize them. They started reminding me of Bible verses, which made me feel more guilty.

behold I stand at the door and knock... Rev. 3:20
ask and it will be given... Matt 7:7
because of his persistence his friend will give him as much as he needs. Luke 11:8.

One day I decided to change the bird food in our deck feeders to get rid of the flock of Cowbirds and Grackles because they take over the feeders and keep the prettier birds away. They do not like safflower seed but the cardinals and other birds do like it, so that's all I put out. I also put up a finch feeder (which the big birds can't eat from) to keep the gold and purple finches around.

The flocks of grackles and cowbirds eventually went away, but it took this pair much longer to part themselves from our windows. I only see them on the deck occasionally now. I hope they've grown out of it.

My sister in Michigan said she had a bird constantly flying at her sun room window for 3 years. It has now directed it's attention to her neighbors car window.