Bluebirds, while quite conspicuous with their nesting habits, must be more secretive in their ongoing daily affairs than other backyard birds. They are fruit and insect eaters, so, as expected, they don't come to the feeder like their yardmate chickadees, wrens, cardinals, mourning doves, tufted titmice, house finches, goldfinches, even woodpeckers. Still, I see other insect and fruit lovers in the yard often, like robins, towhees, bluejays, brown thrashers, mockingbirds---but never bluebirds, unless nesting in the box.
Their mystique only adds to their charm.
In the meantime, I'm enjoying the Housefinch Gutterboys and the other new families all around. Tis the season for fledglings. So comical to watch. dkm
Housefinch Gutterboys
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| Housefinch and mourning doves |
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| Goldfinch (through glass) |
6 comments:
Love the housefinches hanging out on the gutter, like a bunch of old men lined up, chatting and nudging each other as they see something interesting go by. They make me smile,
Yes, I too love the 'gang of four' and their title - Housefinch Gutterboys!
Again I am intrigued by the names, several of which are unfamiliar to me...chickadees, mourning doves, tufted titmice, towhees, brown thrashers are all new.
I like the feeder! When I was living in Yorkshire last year I noticed that nearly every garden had similar feeders. They are just starting to catch on here.
Bibi and Jane---They made me laugh too---wish you could have seen them at closer range---they have little ear-like tufts on their foreheads that make them look even more like old men---or miniature old owls. I was curious about that because the adults don't have those tufts.
And really? You don't have chickadees in NZ? It's hard to imagine a yard without chickadees or squirrels---but you have those spectacular blue fan birds that Niki once sent a picture of ----and hedgehogs!
Oh, and this feeder is indeed the creme de la creme of feeders---a gift from my brother----made by Coleman, I think---the perching ring is on a spring and pulls a shroud over the holes if a heavy squirrel gets on it---which they do often, but give up soon when they can't get at the seeds. We often have six or more birds at a time on this feeder, but have a hard time getting photos b/c the slightest movement scares them off. This lingering goldfinch was the last one of six that flew when I lifted the camera---lucky for him I wasn't a hawk! Hawks also like this feeding station and not for the seeds.
That must be quite a show those guys are giving you :)
Hope you get to see your Bluebirds again!
I notice House Sparrows hanging out in my neighbor's gutter sometimes. I'll bet there's a lot of food in there, especially if not cleaned out!
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