Colorful Finches

The male goldfinches are once again adorned in their golden plumage.

The male house finches are brighter too.

The female is lovely in her own humble way.

Seedheads and Messy Gardens

Six goldfinches suspended on the tips of some of the Echinacea seed heads in the perennial garden are a reminder that it is time to let the faded flowers remain on the plants. All summer the horticulturist in me has been dead heading the plants to ensure a continuous production of new flowers. This also ensured that the butterflies, bees and other pollinators would remain in the garden. As the season is beginning to wind down, the naturalist in me reminds me that it is okay to let seed heads develop and leaves to gather on the ground. This will provide food for the many birds that will be visiting this fall and winter. And what seeds they don't eat may just sprout and grow, producing new plants next season. Again attracting the butterflies, bees and other pollinators to them. Oh yes, the circle of life! Why do we humans need to mess with it?

Birds in the Garden at 7 a.m.

Goldfinches

red bellied woodpecker

downy woodpecker - male and female
nuthatch

chickadees

cardinals

sparrows

finches

mourning dove

hummingbird

Goldfinch

Red-bellied Woodpecker

male downy woodpecker

female ruby throated hummingbird

nuthatch

chickadee

mourning dove

Goldfinch and Downy Woodpecker

I like how I was able to capture both of these birds, on different plants, in the same photo.

Goldfinch on Sunflower

The beautiful large sunflower has faded and its seeds have ripened. The goldfinches have been plucking the seeds out daily now. Being surrounded by tomato plants, I could not see the action from the windows of the house, so cut the sunflower and hung it on the shed. This I can see from the kitchen, dining room and bedroom windows. Once I spotted the goldfinch, I had to go outside to take its picture!

Bird Visitors

For a while (about one month I'd say) the activity at the bird feeders dropped drastically. Only house sparrows were constant visitors taking endless trips to feed their babies.  Mourning Doves were constant as well, but everyone else seemed to move on or switch to eating bugs and worms.

Lately the house (and maybe some purple) finches have been feeding here on a regular basis. Lots and lots of them! I'd say about 5 males and 20 females and/or juveniles! Yesterday there were 7 goldfinches - all males - at the bird bath! I believe I saw an oriole chase a crow last Sunday.

Today I saw a downy woodpecker at the back feeder, a nuthatch at the front feeder, red winged blackbirds on the ground below the large feeder in the enclosed garden, and a red bellied woodpecker on top of one of the cedar posts. Other visitors to the garden and feeders today were grackles, black birds, blue jays, cardinals, catbirds and robins.

And I saw a cotton tail bunny out back by the sour wood tree! It is so cute and tiny!! Saw it or another one last night too.