Adverstise With HOSP Images--No Thanks

As I've mentioned in my bio, I was totally unfamiliar with birds 6 years ago.  However, after almost 6 years, I can identify the locals by their voices.  In a few posts below, I mentioned my experience with a house wren (HOWR).  HOWR have one thing going for them, they are native birds.  That alone has saved the lives of many HOWRs.  On the other hand, there is one bird that is not a native and a real threat to our native birds.  It is called house sparrow or HOSP.  Say HOSP and you will immediatley anger many, if not all, serious bluebirders.  HOSP are a gift from the United Kingdom.  Maybe to get even with their former unruly colony.  In my opinion, no site better explains the HOSP than sialis.  Now, that you understand HOSP, I will make my point.

This past week, I received a circular that features images of HOSP.  I received the same one before.  Here, take a look at drsfostersmith.  I don't think I'll buy that.  In fact, I won't buy anything from them.  I just have this thing for our native birds.

Now, if you want to entice me to buy something from you, don't piss me off with your advertising!  

Smile & Frown

I went out on the deck this morning and heard a nasty sound.  It was under the deck!  It was the House Wren (HOWR) and he found the Carolina Wren's unused nest.

Sticks of House Wren

I have to deal with that later today.  I just came in from mowing the large part of the lawn with the tractor.  On the other hand, something to smile about.  The little hummer came back this morning during his rounds.

Hummer Ready For Sugar Water

This little fellow had been checking flowers from this Nepeta, Walker's Low.

Nepeta, Walker's Low

The Nepeta attracts butterflies too.  It is located near 3 butterfly bushes.  Well, its time to get back to work in the yard.

Little Man Of The Year

My first male ruby-throated hummingbird has arrived.  He's a chubby little fellow so his trip from the south must have been a rewarding one. 

I was out back to pick a rose and I heard chattering.  It took a moment for my aging brain to remember the sound, but when I did, I hurried inside and made some fresh sugar water--quick.  I also brought in and cleaned the feeder that was outside with old sugar water in it. 

I hung the fresh sugar water and went up to the deck to watch.  Then I noticed where the chattering had been coming from.  I have about 25 weigela, wine & roses, around the house and they are all in bloom.  The ruby-throats love them.  Last year, the male wooed the females in them.  The females would sit in them and watch the male making his "U" (large U-shaped patterns) above her.  Apparently, it worked for him because there were young at the feeder later in the Summer.

Anyway, here is this year's male.  It was a little dark when I heard him so the images are a bit dull.  After I looked at the images, I noticed that the blooming weigela was just behind the feeder.  By looking at the flowers, you can see why the hummingbirds find them a blessing in early Spring.  Along with the feeder and plenty of bugs.

First Male Ruby-Throat For 2010

Taking A Sip--I Heard Chattering From This Weigela

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Born To Sing

I was looking for an image of a mockingbird chick and found this little one instead.  Its a Carolina Wren singing its song--and proud of it.

Carolina Wren Singing Up A Storm

The image was taken in July 2008 while it was on the deck railing.  I stood at the window and clicked away.

In Between Notes

The Carolina Wrens nest just below the deck in an open box I bought a few years ago.  They use the same nest material each year.

When you look at these images, just think how much brighter they make our lives.

Carolina Wren

Two Moments Of Joy

I was walking the puppies when I noticed 2 immature bald eagles in "Eagle Tree."  Eagle Tree is a very tall tree where eagles usually land.  The two birds flew off and then one landed in another tree while the other bird went back to Eagle Tree.  Then, the bird on Eagle Tree flew over to the one in the other tree, called to it, and they both flew off together.  Its always wonderful to see bald eagles.  Its even better to hear their voices.

On something less momentous, I have a mockingbird nest in one of the holly bushes.  This is the second time in 3 years for this bush.  By the end of the month, there will be this peep, peep, peep.  That is the single peep sound that the babies make.  They will jump from the bush, land on the ground, and walk off boldly with their peep, peep, going.  Both parents will be  watching them as they move off.  By night, they will be in a bush.  After that, they will fly from one tree to another with their peep, peep, peep.  That goes on for some time and the parents are always there to feed them. 

In August, the entire area here is filled with these little peep, peep, peeps and I never can get enough of it.  I hope to get some images of the kids after they jump to the ground by the end of this month.

The Swallows Are Here

Last week, the swallows arrived in force.  I estimate there were about 50 of them in a 3 acre area.  Most were barn swallows but there were some tree swallows too.  They were feeding close to the ground.  Maybe because it was coll outside.  In once case, a swallow landed on the side of a house. 

Most of my time outside seems to be spent house-trainng the new puppies (See below).  However, I have this thing about trying to capture an image of a swallow in flight.  I figured with so many around, I could catch one flying towards me or away from me.  Well, I hoped.  I did get a silhouette of one flying on a cloudy day and you can even see its tail. 

Barn Swallow in Flight

The image below is one on a sunny day.  You can see the tail and some coloring under its belly.  Its a barn swallow.

Barn Swallow in a Moment of Horizontal Flight

When you are standing beneath them, you can here their chattering.  Its really quite wonderful.  This beautiful chirping all around.  You look up and there they are.  Point the camera.  Where did they go?  These birds haven't heard of straight lines.  They're incredible acrobats.  Just beautiful!

Barn Swallow    Tree Swallow

I Had To Stop Crying

After my dog Ambrose died (See below), I began suffering from uncontrolled periods of crying.  If I thought about him, I would automatically start crying at home or in public.

So, I began to look for puppies on the internet.  It started for me to see little Ambroses.  Then I found a breeder who was fairly close to me and decided to visit and look at the puppies.  I went to check out a male and there was this female.  After 30 minutes, I put down a deposit on both.  A week later, I brought them home to begin their new lives.

Meet Lily and Blue Jay.

Lily - The Female

Blue Jay - The Male

At the time of their images, they were between 3 to 4 months.

Lily is tall and thin; Blue Jay is short and chubby.  They love each other since they are brother and sister.  When I take Lily out to pee and dump, Blue Jay is waiting for her return.  Lily waits for Blue Jay too.  That is why I bought two--so they will always have each other.  (I'm not a pup myself and it will take an effort for me to outlive them.)  When Ambrose came home, he cried all the way home and for a day or two after that.  He was all alone.  Lily and Blue Jay didn't have that problem.  They didn't know where they were going or where they were but they knew they had each other.  Lily cried on the way home for about 5 minutes and that was it.  Since then, they watch each other like hawks.  They almost are always together.

The other role they play is giving me a break from a demented parent.  Yes, I care for a 91-year old Mother who I think intends to outlive me.  I'm in my sixth year with her here now and I hope to keep her out of a nursing home.  I've got to outlive the three of them or my house of cards falls.

Anyway, I am so busy with Lily and Blue Jay that I don't cry as much for Ambrose.  Of course, when I take Lily and Blue Jay to the Vet's, we don't use the room where Ambrose died.  Ambrose is still my dog and I will be with him in Dog Heaven some day. 

They're All Gone

In the post below, I mentioned that the chickadees awaited the house wren (HOWR).  Well, this morning he arrived on his early schedule and did his deed.

HOWR Claims House

What had been a perfect chickadee nest was no more.  I first noticed the HOWR's arrival at about 9:00 AM this morning.  He was tossing out parts of the nest material.  It took me a couple of minutes to get down to the house and I began my inspection.

Nest Material on Ground

After seeing the nest material, I checked the nest with my finger.  No eggs and nothing sticky.  The eggs should have been about 7 to 10 days old but there were none there.  I looked around on the ground and found nothing.  At first, I was puzzled.  Then I looked harder on the ground.

Chickadee Egg On Ground

Another Chickadee Egg

After I knew the chickadee nest had been destroyed, there was nothing left to do but admire the nest-building effort.  The moss area was several inches deep, deeper than the one in 2008.  There was a fine fluff around the egg area that was incredibly soft to the touch.  A lot of effort went into this nest.

Chickadee Nest

So, what went wrong?  Well, nothing actually.  I could have put a HOWR guard up.  However, this HOWR flew to the hole from the ground in addition to flying to the hole from the roof of the house.  They know where the hole is.  I had been hoping for a vigilant male like the one that defended the nest in 2008.  This one did down a downy woodpecker earlier.  However, he was often missing from the nearby trees.  This morning, the female also left the nest without the male nearby.  This was all the HOWR needed.  It broke and tossed the eggs out of the nest and was in the process of dismantling it when I stopped it.

Am I angry with the HOWR?  No, it was just being a HOWR and a HOWR, like a chickadee, are native birds here.  I am disappointed with the chickadees' lackadaisical defense of their nest since a chickadee is a match for a HOWR. 

For my own part, I took down all my bird houses.

In This House . . .

. . . there is a chickadee family.  In 2008, a chickadee family fledged all but one chick in this house.  Last year, the chickadees began building a nest but a downy woodpecker decided to roost in the box during the nights.  The chickadees decided to move on after that.  Then two house wrens (HOWR) sent the downy packing.

It appears that the difference may be an aggressive chickadee male.  In 2008, the male chickadee took a cowbird and a bluebird to the ground when they approached the box.  This year, the male has already taken a downy to the ground and chased it into the woods.  Maybe he is an agressive defender of the nest.  He is going to need it.  The HOWRs will arrive around the end of April to May and they will try to move into the house.  The chickadees will need to fight them until their chicks fledge.

HOWRs are very cute little birds.  They are small and industrious.  The male builds the nest with sticks and the female, if she accepts, finishes the nest cup herself.  HOWRs are native birds--they belong here.  Unfortunately, the male HOWR guards its territory and fills nearby boxes with sticks in its territory.  That includes boxes with nests.  HOWRs are known to peck holes in eggs and remove chicks from nests.  That's not nice.  So, as in 2008, the chickadee male will need to fight the HOWRs to keep them from destroying the chickadee nest. 

If you look at the box, you will notice a plate over the entrance.  This is a bluebird box with a 1.5 inch hole.  The plate is a hole reducer.  It is there to keep house sparrows (HOSP) out since HOSPs are known to kill sitting females who are on their nests.  They also kill chicks.  HOSPs are not native birds and were imported from England in the 19th century.  Now, they are everywhere and they are agressive during the breeding season.  My neighbors unwittingly breed HOSPs behind their house shutters.  In the last few years, the breeding has moved to several other houses.  Yesterday, a HOSP pair attempted to move into an empty box on my property near the chickadees.  I took the house down and hopefully that was it.  HOSPs are not permitted to breed here.  In fact, I do not want their nasty screeching in my woods.

With the HOSPs at bay, the chickadees now await the HOWRs. 

Spring Approaches

I'm still mourning my dog, Ambrose. However, some events here are worth mentioning.

As you can see, I had a pair of the most elegant birds--Eastern Bluebirds--checking my houses this morning. The female noticed winterberries that I had planted for them and flew down for one or two.

Then it was time to check out a knot in one of the hickory trees.

After checking out the yard, both blues then flew off together and were replaced by two of the regulars--Phillie and Millie--2 of the local goundhogs.

(Originally published on March 7, 2009)

Eastern Bluebirds

Upon Losing One's Best Friend

After being watched and shadowed for nearly 17 years, you get attached to your dog. Below is my dog, Ambrose, at 10 years of age. He died this Thursday, 5 weeks short of 17 years old. More of me than I thought, died with him.

As with every dog owner, I could go on and on with stories about him. However, one amuses me more than any other.

Ambrose was a people dog not a dog dog. He loved every human he met. He had no use for other dogs. As you can see from above, Ambrose was a good looking boy and he knew it. He posed for his image. Anyway, a few years back, Ambrose had his hair cut at his "salon." There was a pretty, little, female poodle there by the name of Lily. She was a miniature, like Ambrose. I was paying the bill when Lily approached Ambrose to play. Ambrose sat like a gentleman but ignored her. Lily tried to get Ambrose's attention. Ambrose, was looking good, and continued to ignore her. Lily became tired of being ignored and slapped Ambrose across the snout with her paw. Ambrose, still the gentleman, took the paw across his face and continued to ignore her. Lily walked off.

Now, if it was a human, Ambrose would treat the last human he met as his new best friend.

It will take some time for me to recover from my loss. However, I intend to return with some new bird images.

(Originally published on February 20, 2010)

Top Of The Bird Chain

Its never easy taking an image of a bald eagle. Generally, they do not circle. Maybe once or twice but never like a vulture. Normally, they fly in a straight line.

Its even more difficult getting an image standing on a snow-covered deck in 20 degree weather without a coat. Add a failing camera in for good measure and its a matter of luck.

Today, I got lucky. I walked out on the deck and noticed a bird with a white tail. I ran into the house, grabbed the camera, and went back on the deck.
 

I managed to click 4 or 5 images off and got 2 that were worth publishing. When the eagle flew straight overhead, I stumbled and ended with a blur. At least, the 2 above were decent enough to publish.

(Originally published on February 7, 2010)

The Return Of The Cardinals

Yesterday, it was 14 degrees outside. I was walking through the kitchen and noticed there were 5 cardinals on the deck railing--3 male and 2 female. I knew why they were there. They wanted food.

Two male Northern Cardinals waiting for food.

I put on my coat and headed for the feeders. The cardinals arrive in force by mid-January. I don't know why they pick that time of year but they do. Then they sit and wait in the woods. Today, they had enough of the waiting and came up to get me to feed them.

This is how the woods look in January.

The woods fill up with the cardinals and you see specks of red throughout the woods. You also see brown tinged with red too--the females. I have three places to feed the cardinals. One is under the abelias, another is under the butterfly bushes, and the third is the black oil sunflower seed (BOSS) feeder. Under the abelias, they get sunflower hearts--shelled sunflower seeds. That is to keep the gardens from filling up with BOSS shells.

A male and female cardinal wait their chance

under the butterfly bushes. Their friends, the

white-throated sparrows, wait with them.

 

The cardinals get along with the other birds. However, they do argue with each other. The males will be chasing each other soon. The females will hiss at each other, from time to time.

 

(Originally published on January 31, 2010)

 

Northern Cardinal

Nothing Flies Like A Turkey Vulture

I've been taking images of turkey vultures in flight for about 4 or 5 years. Its kind of like taking images in Yosemite. You can take all the images you want but you cannot capture it in an image. Turkey vultures have a wingspan of about 6 feet. They're big! They play, they test their flying skills, they dive, they chase each other, they do loops, etc. They simply are the best flying machine here.

I had thought I had seen everything in the past 4 or 5 years. However, this past week a turkey vulture left me shaking.

Turkey vultures flying inches apart.

I was standing on the deck watching the turkey vultures above the thermals in back of the house. A turkey vulture snuck up from behind me barely clearning the house. It gazed at me as it flew by. A few minutes later, a turkey vulture--flying for speed--again flew from over the house and above my head. There was this swoosh. (Listen to the sound of the glider in the end of this clip from the original Thomas Crown Affair.) So, there I was with this loud swoosh over my head. The turkey vulture proceeded straight into the woods swooshing all the way from its speed. Since the turkey vulture was flying between trees, it went perpendicular (or sideways) to the ground. You could see it adjusting its wings as it flew between the trees. I simply stood listening and watching as it happened.
 
Call it play, call it a test of its flying skills, call it whatever you want. I never saw anything like it and it left me shaking for a few minutes.
 

Turkey vulture slowly turning to its right.

(Originally posted on January 23, 2010)

R. I. P.

Every now and then, nature rears its head in the bird garden. At first, when a hawk takes a bird, you get angry. Then you realize it is the scheme of things and it nourishes the hawk. In this case, I came late to dinner and only saw feathers, part of a beak, and little else.

From the beak and bit of black feathers attached to the beak, I believe it was a titmouse. It could have been a white-breasted nuthatch but I believe it was a titmouse.

(Originally published January 18, 2009)

Feed Us And We'll Sing For You

One of the most pleasant birds in the Winter back yard is the White-Throated Sparrow. They are relatively shy birds wanting to stay in the brush of the woods. However, they will peck at seed below the main feeder area here. I give them sunflower hearts under the butterfly bushes since they are normally ground scratchers. The butterfly bushes give them some protection from hawks and make them feel more comfortable.  The butterfly bushes are about 15 feet from the brush area.  The images below were taken towards the front of the brush area where they congregate before they fly to the seed under the butterfly bushes.

As Winter progresses, these little guys gain confidence in me. In fact, they become happy to see me. When they see me outside, they rise to higher levels in the brush and some of them begin to sing. Several others begin congregating in the brush and rise towards the top of the brush. There are two types of white-throats: tan and white. The bird above is tan. Note the tan color behind its eye.

Below are two whites. Note the white color behind their eyes. In the lower right of the image, you will see the second white. In addition to their song, they chirp in single chirps. I've counted from 2 to 7 individual chirps in a series. It seems that these chirps are for each other to hear and I have no idea what they mean. They arrive here in November for the Winter and leave the next May to breed.

 
(Originally published on January 10, 2010)
 
White-Throated Sparrow

I Like Peanuts

Over the years, I've tested different foods for different birds. I use black oil sunflower seeds (BOSS), nyjer, fruit and nut mix, shelled peanuts, unshelled peanuts, sugar water (hummingbirds) and sunflower hearts. At some point, I noticed that tufted titmice love shelled peanuts. I can mix them with other seeds in a feeder and they look for the shelled peanuts. I've tested this out over the years. So, when I buy fruit and nut mix I also buy a separate bag of shelled peanuts. Then I mix the shelled peanuts into the fruit and nut mix to satisfy the titmice.

Below, a titmouse lands on a feeder with fruit, nuts, and shelled peanuts. Its sitting and searching for its peanuts.

Next, after searching for the peanuts, the titmouse jumps in and picks one up.

The above images were taken on November 21, 2007. I took many images of different titmice doing the same thing that day and on other days over the years. They always search for the peanuts, and if any were left, picked one out of the other seeds, nuts, and fruits.

This has happened steadily over the years. Below is an image I took last week. Its a different feeder but it has fruit and nut mix with extra peanuts in it. As you can see, the titmouse found its peanut and seems quite pleased.

Tufted Titmouse

Dunking For . . . . . . . . . . Peanuts

Early in the morning, every day in Winter, the Blue Jays arrive. They arrive in a group--maybe 8 to 13 of them. One thing for sure about them is that they will make you laugh--at some time. Yesterday, we finished our snow storm with about 20 inches of snow. This morning, the Blue Jays were waiting on the railing of the deck.

Here we have one of the Blue Jays dunking for something.

It found one of its favorite foods--an unshelled peanut.

(Originally published December 20, 2009)

Blue Jay

Disgusted

Today, we had somewhere between 15 to 20 inches of snow and the ground was covered early in the morning. To me, that meant one thing--a horde of Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, and Brown-headed Cowbirds. One of my field guides mentions that this type of horde can include up to 100,000 members. With no bare ground, a horde with thousands of birds found my feeders. I tried to keep them away by clapping my hands from the deck. That did send most of them packing. However, at least 100 birds remained at the feeders and devoured everything. To help the regular birds, I began setting up feeders on the deck for the regulars. By the end of the day, I could wave my arm from inside the door to scare the horde birds away with the regulars ignoring my waving. The regulars are recognizing me as a source of food and not much of a threat. In times of serious need as today, they do not mind my presence.

As the day was ending, the snow was wearing on the birds. Their looks appeared to show disgust with the weather conditions.

Below, a female Northern Cardinal looks disgusted as the snow quickly builds up on her head.

The Common Grackle, a horde bird, looked even more disgusted as it sat in the snow, fluffed up a bit, and let the snow cover its head.

(Originally published on December 19, 2009)

Northern Cardinal   Common Grackle

Have Nut, Will Fly

Rosey takes flight with a nut in her beak.

(Originally published on December 19, 2009)

Lord Of The Backyard

Each type of bird has its own characteristics. Some birders believe individual birds do too. Anyway, there is one type of bird here that is the "Backyard Boss," excluding hawks, etc. It is "Red" and "Rosey" the Red-bellied Woodpeckers. Here is the current "Red."

I took this image yesterday after I filled the nut and fruit feeder. Red and Rosey love nuts. After I fill the feeders, sometimes I back off about 15 feet and watch the regulars eat and pose for an image. Normally, the chickadees and nuthatches are first. After a bit more, the titmice and downy woodpeckers arrive. They all readily fly to the feeders while I am watching.
 
Not Red or Rosey though. They call out a "chuck" noise as they move from tree to tree on their approach to the feeder. If I am there, they catch an eyeful of me, and fly off. The above picture is of Red checking me out before he flew off.
 
Now, if the feeder is empty and Red or Rosey see me outside, they will chuck at me from the woods. Early last Spring, before an ornamental cherry tree opened its leaves near the driveway, both Red and Rosey landed together in the tree and gave me a brutal chucking. Astonished that they would work together like this so near me, I stood there watching them as they sat there chucking at me. Finally, I caught on, said OK, OK, and filled up the fruit and nut feeder. That was it. The bosses told me off and I remedied my deficiency.
 
(Originally published on December 13, 2009)

Silly Human Part III

Its been a week now and my friend the Sharp-shinned hawk has not been seen. Perhaps, my second fall to the ground (See Silly Human II) was too much for it to bear. Maybe my pulling of the feeders down for 3 or 4 days did it. Anyway, its not sitting on my feeder hooks. Let's hope it didn't run afoul of a larger predator.

It took about 2 days for all the regulars to come back to feed.

(Originally published on December 13, 2009)

Its Called Sunset

I think I mentioned that I am not very good at photography. However, I was outside looking at the feeders last month and this appeared. I went inside and pulled out my old camera. Here it is. Somehow, the rain stopped for a day and this beautiful sight appeared.

(Originally published on December 6, 2009)

Silly Human - Part II

Last week, my new friend, the sharp-shinned hawk, came back in search of an easy meal. Once I saw him, I walked down towards the feeding station to convince it that there were better hunting grounds elsewhere. It was raining. Its seems to have rained continuously since March. Anyway, the ground was saturated and muddy. I walked down the 13 steps to the grass and carefully put my left foot down. Whoops! I slipped and caught myself on 1 hand and 2 feet. It must have been a scary sight because the hawk was gone when I righted myself.

After accomplishing that, I walked back up the steps, stood on the deck, and looked at the feeding station. The hawk was back in the same spot. Now muddied from my fall, I walked back down the steps. I put my right foot on the grass this time. Whoops!! Again, I found myself on 1 hand and 2 feet. I looked up and my friend flew off. Apparently, my flailing about as I fell disgusted the hawk. Too much silly human for one hawk to handle. In an effort to make our lives easier, I took the feeders down and put them in the garage. I think that was Wednesday. I haven't seen the hawk since.

This morning, I can see blue skies--a rarity here. Of course, it snowed a bit last night and the mud awaits me. I'm going to try to put the feeders back up this afternoon in hope that the hawk has discovered happier hunting grounds.

Some good things happened during the overcast week. An adult bald-eagle continues to perch in the woods. Perhaps, it wants its image taken. I'll be happy to oblige it. The ring-billed gulls are back in force. I'm still alive. What more can I ask.

(Originally published on December 6, 2009)

Silly Human

Yesterday was a great day in and around the woods. Red-tails, immature and adult bald eagles, turkey and black vultures, canada geese, etc., etc. Even some other waterfowl that I haven't identified yet.

And of course, the sharp-shinned hawk above. Now, I did have to get help identifying the hawk because cooper's look similar. As you can see, it is perched upon one of the hooks at my feeding station. Feeding station as in songbirds and woodpeckers--not hawks. To deal with hawks at my feeders, I clap my hands at a distance and they normally fly away. This one didn't.

Instead, this bird let me approach within 5 feet or so. As I approached it, in the top image, the hawk looked at me in disdain. For a moment I wondered if it was going to work me over a bit. Then it slowly floated from its perch and glided above the brush in the woods. After a bit of coaxing, it flew just above the ground, to a neighbor's yard.

This leads to a dilemma. Here we have a beautiful wild bird using my bird feeders as part of its hunting grounds. It's here because I interfered with nature. Of course, based on my observation, my activities have increased the bird population of the woods. I could go on with this thought but it would go around and around.

Anyway, a small hawk, probably the one above returned to the woods this morning. Before I knew it was here, it was chasing a goldfinch in mid-air. The hawk did a loop as it tried to catch the goldfinch. The goldfinch chirped as it flew for all it was worth. Finally, the hawk gave up the chase and flew arcross the creek to the hills on the other side of the creek.

Good luck hunting my feathered friend. Just try to do it somewhere else.

Originally published on November 29, 2009)

Sharp-Shinned Hawk

Another Bald Eagle

The roaring and howling wind, currently in the 30 to 35 mph range, is out in force. As I stand in the driveway, I catch it in the face. This will last until Spring. Fortunately the temperature is in the mid 40s today.

I managed to capture an image of another 2-year old bald eagle. It was being blown around too but it used the wind to hold its place in the sky.

Another image of its profile.

(Origiannly published on November 28, 2009)

Indecision

Its been raining since Sunday and I am going back to February 2008 for a few of my favorite images. That day, there was ice on the ground so I couldn't get to the feeders. Instead, I set up a little feeding station on the deck. In one little bowl I placed unshelled peanuts. I stood at the window and took these images of a bluejay deciding which peanut it wanted.

In the first image, the bluejay has sorted through the peanuts and decided on the perfect one.

It flies to the deck rail, thinks about it's decision, and looks back at the other peanuts in the bowl. Indecision takes over.

After a moment on the deck rail, the bluejay returns to the peanut bowl . . .

. . . and once again sorts through the peanuts. Finally, the bluejay finds just the right peanut. It was the one it selected before.

After is is satisfied it has the right peanut, it is ready to fly to a tree and eat it.

(Originally published on November 28, 2009)

Bluejay