Bird Chaos

I just put some peanuts out and within seconds, the Scrub Jays are flocking to them! Somehow they sense that there's a new food out there and go crazy. They're fighting over them like I'm the only person in the whole town that feeds them!

I go through about a bag of seed a week and then when I put out special treats like peanuts and bread, they act like they've never eaten before!

Look at all this chaos I've caused :)

The early bird...

This morning it was so cold that there was a blanket of frost all over. But that didn't keep away the American Robins. There were several males hopping around on the frozen grass. It looked like they were actually getting a few worms. The field guide says they are attracted to birdbaths and bread crumbs. I just put some bread out around the feeders and also filled up the bath. It was so cold that it actually froze solid!!

Sparrow Pandemonium

There are so many birds out there that I can't keep the feeders full!! The House Finches are chasing off the White-crowned Sparrows. There are so many sparrows out there that I don't know which is what! The only way I could identify the White-crowned one is because of the black and white stripe on its head.

Cool Dude

Today we saw a Northern Flicker in the front yard. He was foraging in the grass. The one we saw was actually a Red-shafted male because it had the red cheeks, black bib and red stripe on its tail. Apparently they're one of the only woodpeckers to find food primarily on the ground. He was really pretty with a gray head and dark tan forehead and spots all over.

Pop! Goes the Sparrow

I put out some popcorn in the back this morning. The word must be out because there are so many House Sparrows on the feeder and on the ground that they are literally fighting for space. They seem to be taking turns, though, because they're constantly flying and landing again.

I'm sure we have 200 different kinds of sparrows, but it's hard to identify them when they all look so much alike.

Chubs

Wow, I can't believe how many different birds we've seen--and keep seeing!! Today we saw a new hummingbird. He's been hanging out all morning in the tree out front. I could never cut down those dead trees in the front because of how many different birds are attracted to sitting in the branches.

Our new visitor turns out to be a Black-chinned Hummingbird. It looks exactly like the picture in the field guide. He looks smaller when he's flying, but when he's sitting there perched in the tree, he's really chubby and kind of pear-shaped. It was neat seeing a totally different looking hummingbird than all the rest.

He's still sitting out there, keeping close to the feeder...

Magpie Visitors

We saw a pair of magpies today in our backyard! It was so incredible because up until now we've only seen them around the grocery store and the field next to it. They were rummaging around for insects. The yellow on their heads almost looks like a mask and they have really long tails. They only stayed for a few minutes and then flew away.