Birds

This is the second year I've had bird feeders and I thoroughly enjoy watching the exuberance of finches that they attract. By far, the most common bird is the goldfinch (they call them wild canaries here) but I also have purple finches, black-headed grosbeaks, evening grosbeaks, Oregon junkos, towhees, mourning doves, and every once in a while we see a bluebird.


Here is a new bird I can't identify. He showed up here just a few days ago. Maybe migrating? I've made the mistake before of trying to identify a juvenile on a website that only describes adult males and I wonder if that's what I have here. He's awfully clear of color for him to be a juvenile, though. The streaks on his head are either a very dark blue or black, his back and wings are a blue or slate-blue, and his beak is a little longer than the all-purpose beak of the robin. More like a woodpecker. Anyone have a clue? I'm surprised I got a picture of him because he doesn't stay in one place long. He just flits down, pecks on the ground a bit and darts away. I've not seen him eat from the feeder, just on the ground under it. It's quietly driving me nuts!


This picture is a common sight. These goldfinches are waiting for me to leave so they can swarm the feeders.


The finches wait on the power line and in these trees next to our house. I count about twenty in the picture and six or seven had just flown away as I snapped. That makes about thirty-five finches impatiently waiting for me to leave.

Check out the clouds in the pictures. They were the reason I was outside with the camera in the first place and they covered the sky. The new heading picture was taken at the same time.