Okay. Maybe not billions, but I'd wager hundreds of birds visit my feeders each day. That's one of the pleasures of country living, a large and varied bird population.
I found myself totally mesmerized as I watched them through the window this morning. They're constantly on the move: eating, fighting, swooping in and out. I tried to take a head-count, but there was too much activity for that. I know there were 50 or more birds at any given time!
Without a doubt, the majority of the birds are Goldfinches. A few have started to put on their yellow summertime feathers, but most are still in winter clothes. I also get lots of Cardinals, my favorite kind of bird. Most folks speak of the bright red males when referring to Cardinals, but the females are quite lovely, too. In addition, I have Sparrows (not sure which variety...maybe Song Sparrows?) and a few Purple Finches.
Naturally the birds all flew off when I went out to take the above photo. I tried to stand there without moving so they'd come back, but it was too cold! I bet you can spot a few in the photo, though. I hope by now you all know you can click on my photos to enlarge them for better viewing.
As winter passes the Goldfinches will move on. Others, like Indigo Buntings, Grosbeaks, and Cowbirds, will take their place at the feeders. Nothing, however, beats this time of year for sheer numbers!
9 comments:
We moved our feeder to the front of the house for better viewing. We don't have much shrub cover for cardinals so don't see them often.
I like the term " twenty million" as in " there must be 20 million germs on this doorknob" or " Look at that...there are 20million ants on the counter". There might be only three but 20 million just adds good emphasis! lol
I filled all my feeders (I have 3 in the tree outside my bedroom window) before the ice hit and it's been fun watching the birds as I sit here and type. Cardinals, sparrows, jays, doves, you name it they are out there feeding and visting. My pup Spanky loves the ice and snow and wants to be outside all the time. He wanders around the base of the tree side by side with the birds pecking around here. He doesn't chase them and they don't seem to mind him. Pretty cute.
Very cool. Not a lot of birds around my house. Too citified, and a lot of the species I'm accustomed to do not live in Florida. I'l live thru you and Pam, vicariously.
quid
I love this. I have never been consistent with bird feeders. Maybe this spring.
Cool photo – and there’s almost billions of birds there…..
All the best, Boonie
It's like 'Where's Waldo?' but with birds....
Hey! I can read your blog today. Hooray!! It's snow & ice, ice, baby here today and I have lots of cold birds at my feeders, too. This year we've have mostly Cardinals and Sparrows. Stay warm!
Blessings,
Marion
Spot the birds: I can see at least four :D
This lovely post reminds me of my childhood when I sometimes watched birds through the kitchen window. We had no TV so they were great entertainment for a country kid. I was so amazed when my mother told me that ´the ordinary birds´ as was my name for them actually had a name: sparrows!
So I felt a bit proud when I grew up and realized the Latin name was ´Passer domesticus´. I felt my name wasn´t so stupid after all.
I'm a big fan of goldfinches ... ours are probably "wintering" down your way!
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