Bird watching
Oct. 15th, 2006 08:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nlbarberA couple of weeks ago I finally moved the bird feeder pole from the back yard to the front, where it's visible from the breakfast bar in the kitchen. Now I can sit in my lovely new kitchen with the wonderful stone countertop, and watch the birds.
It took a week before they seemed to find the feeder, and last weekend the visitors were mostly Carolina chickadees, with a Carolina wren and a tufted titmouse for variety. But now everyone seems to know where the feeder is, and I'm digging for the binoculars and the Sibley (bird book) with great regularity. I've never been much more than a bird-feeder bird watcher, so my ID's are rather tentative as I scramble to spot distinguishing characteristics on "new" birds. So far, in addition to the 3 above, I've seen cardinals, a house finch, a goldfinch, blue jays (they haven't tried the feeder while I've been watching--they're a litle big for it), and woodpeckers--I think both a downy and a hairy, but I'm only sure of the downy. It's hard to check beak length when they're sticking said beak in the suet cake with great rapidity, and my eye isn't attuned enough yet to say "oh, that one's bigger, it must be a hairy woodpecker". Oh, and I think I saw both a white-breasted nuthatch and a brown-headed nuthatch, but these are both new birds for me so I'm not completely sure.
It took a week before they seemed to find the feeder, and last weekend the visitors were mostly Carolina chickadees, with a Carolina wren and a tufted titmouse for variety. But now everyone seems to know where the feeder is, and I'm digging for the binoculars and the Sibley (bird book) with great regularity. I've never been much more than a bird-feeder bird watcher, so my ID's are rather tentative as I scramble to spot distinguishing characteristics on "new" birds. So far, in addition to the 3 above, I've seen cardinals, a house finch, a goldfinch, blue jays (they haven't tried the feeder while I've been watching--they're a litle big for it), and woodpeckers--I think both a downy and a hairy, but I'm only sure of the downy. It's hard to check beak length when they're sticking said beak in the suet cake with great rapidity, and my eye isn't attuned enough yet to say "oh, that one's bigger, it must be a hairy woodpecker". Oh, and I think I saw both a white-breasted nuthatch and a brown-headed nuthatch, but these are both new birds for me so I'm not completely sure.
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Snack bar!
Date: 2006-10-16 01:22 am (UTC)Their favorite lunch spot.
Re: Snack bar!
Date: 2006-10-16 02:34 am (UTC)So far, the feeder seems to have minimal spillage and so there's not too much ground-level activity. The feeders are high and on a metal pole, and so are not within a cat's range (she says hopefully).
I just want to keep Fish from discovering the good bird-watching at this window, as the breakfast counter is Forbidden To Cats. However, if he discovers the good bird watching, there will be no stopping him from sitting there.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-16 05:59 am (UTC)Meanwhile, you have me envying the counter even more than the birds. Could you post the link to that fabulous South American pebble marble? And or maybe a picture of your actual counter?
(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-16 12:19 pm (UTC)http://www.glmarble.com/GranitePages/BlackAmazonWithGold.htm
and here are links to a couple of shots of my counters, including the breakfast bar:
http://nlbarber.livejournal.com/105040.html
(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-20 01:50 am (UTC)Yay for bird-TV! [good luck keeping the cats out of the fun!]