Birds of Many Feathers

Hi there! No posts for a while, because I haven't gone out looking for bugs this week. It's been cold, and the last time I did go out looking for them, I didn't find anything (although it wasn't that cold, so I was surprised at the lack of bugs. And in the interest of full disclosure, I did see a few bugs on the porch the other night, they just weren't interesting enough to take pictures and blog about). So, since the weather has been more or less the same all week, I didn't bother to go out again. The weather is about to get colder, so I think it will be a while before I go out looking again.

So, why am I here today? Because this blog isn't just about the bugs in my backyard, in spite of the name, it's about the other wild things in the backyard, too, and today, there were other interesting things flying around in my backyard.

Backyard Bird of the Day:

 I don't know what this is - I tried looking it up, and there are several birds that look like this. My guess was that it was a warbler that is migrating somewhere, but it also looks like a vireo. So... I don't know. I don't think I have ever seen one before, and there were several in the yard today, so I am guessing that they are migrating, whether it's a warbler or not. Maybe my mother will know what it is; Mom, what kind of bird is this?

I first spotted them on the birdbath that is just outside the window.

It was very crowded on the birdbath today.

 Anyway, as you can see from the two pictures just above this, taking pictures through the window is terrible, so I went outside to see if I could get better shots. And the birds promptly flew away. I stood out there for about twenty minutes, just staying still, and they came back and I was able to get a few shots.

 

 But they're birds, so...

 Back to the birdbath.

 Also in the backyard today, and on the birdbath - cedar waxwings. These I only got pictures of through the window.

 I have never noticed the red on their wings before.

 Another visitor to the birdbath - I think this is a house finch.

 And there were juncoes all over the driveway.

 There were other birds around, too, that I did not get pictures of: blue jays, chickadees... As I was standing outside waiting for the birds to relax around me, I could hear the reason that there were so many birds in the backyard today:

 The black birch trees were dropping their seeds. It wasn't windy, other than an occasional breezy gust, and it wasn't just because the birds were up there eating them - the trees were just raining seeds, enough that I could hear them hit the ground, and see them dropping like snow. They were all over the driveway and front walk.

As we near the beginning of a fresh, new year, I have once again created calendars of my bug pictures from this year, available at Zazzle. Click HERE to see my calendars and other insect and spider related items. I added some cards, posters, and Christmas ornaments, too, because who doesn't want a spider hanging on their Christmas tree?