I've got two up, too, klm...no luck here, either but within the week I should have some takers :fingerscr

Random April 27 photos
 

The Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers bang on the power poles and on the metal supports at the top (that gray 'beam' on the right-hand edge of the image is the metal plate). The male starts (you can see him in the back, drumming his romantic tune on the metal plate) as the female (to the left in front) comes over and listens to the concert. You can see that the music took a turn to the seriously romantic serenade in the second shot--notice her crest.

"Oooooo la la!!!" :D

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A male brown-headed cowbird displays from the spruce (what is it with black birds and hiding in evergreens here? :frustrated:). He let me get pretty close, though, so he does (sort of) show up even though he's in the shade.

He puffs up and makes his sexy bubble-screech call. No females arrived to admire his prowess, however. :D

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The red-winged blackbird came out of the hemlock and spent some time in the sun yesterday, but at first he wouldn't look at me

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and when he finally [I]did[/I] look, he hid his epaulets :rolleyes:

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Got a nice abstract of a red-winged blackbird in flight, though! :laughing:

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Doesn't this first shot look like a painting? American goldfinch male:

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This one, too. This is what happens when you close crop a slightly-out-of-focus digital image. Red-breasted nuthatch:

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And an in-focus and obliging Chipping Sparrow, singing his heart out:

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Mama robin is getting used to madame hazel's presence:

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As is Papa bluebird:

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The bluebirds are checking out the house the in-laws provide for them:

"This one looks good!"
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"Come check it out, Mama!"
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"What do you think?"
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And finally, three shots of the same male Yellow-rumped Warbler:

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Warblers are hazel's favorites. Looks like the trees are going to be all leafed out by the time most of the warbler species migrate through, though :frustrated:

The Yellow Bellied Sapsucker female sure seems to like that tune Hazel, she looks delightfully surprised.......I can't recall seeing the Yellow-rumped Warbler around here unfortunately :(

Still no takers on the Bluebird house, the Tree Swallows did check it out but have gone on to using the same one as always.....to date no other birds are checking any of the other houses out. Hopefully it is just that this cold snap that is keeping them a bit further south.

I'm not getting too many birds at the feeders either....I have been weaning them a bit as I don't usually have the feeders going in the warm summer months. There was a Mr and Mrs Cardinal around them earlier today, he is a complete slave, picking up seed and feeding her....real cute.

Beautiful pictures! A pair of yellow bellied sapsuckers just left about three days ago after making their annual visit to my yard. They came a bit earlier then usual this year, likely due to the early warm weather but have been coming through here for at least 6 years now and stick around for about two weeks. Our poor old birch tree (the reason for their attraction to my yard) bears many scars from their annual visits. I am assuming it is the same pair each year [(always just the two (a male and a female)]. Each year I wonder if they'll be back but for several years they have returned each spring before moving on to wherever they go to spend the summer. Does anyone have any idea what the possible lifespan of these birds could be?

I'd expect maybe 6 - 10 years, mikischo. Maybe longer. Even really little birds have surprisingly long lives if they can avoid predators. I know the hummers that come back are often from the previous year--they recognize me. Any new birds that just tag along are a lot less tolerant of ol' hazel. :D

Amazing!!!
 

My MIL sent me this link this morning and me and my co-workers are now hooked. :crazy:

She (MIL) witnessed the hatching of an eaglet this morning but then we witnessed a feeding this afternoon. Talk about a Truman Story!

This is a real live feed of a bald headed eagle's nest with 3 eggs on Hornby Island in BC. It's getting a little dusky there now but this is truly amazing to watch!

[url]http://www.hornbyeagles.com/webcam.htm[/url]

Enjoy! :thumbs up

Oh, that is so cool, klm!!!! :cloud9: She was tucking baby in tenderly :flirt:

Not sure if they have the camera at different angles. All day today, it was a real close up "birds eye view" of the nest! :D

It looks like they update the main page throughout the night if any changes occur however; everyone has to sit and wait patiently until day break.

Dang, I don't think I could sit there for so long like they do! Without even a book to read! :eek: :o

Isn't their patience amazing? :cloud9: So much fun watching them. Another feeding even as I type :D

Yum! More sushi :p

Hmmmm. Imagine that! madame hazel has been busy with the camera again :rolleyes:

Let me know when you want me to stop :o

The weather has been pretty gloomy, with an occasional sunny day in between.

The black-capped chickadees came out and posed a bit on one of the sunny ones. :D

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The blue jays were skulking in the bushes that day, too:

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There are still a fair number of American Goldfinches around.

The females are pretty drab and not unwilling to talk to the neighbors:

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The males are more interested in hanging around with the guys and talking about the cute chicks :D:

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This male was in the pine just off the deck, stretching his wings, legs, and tail.

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Warning: snake from a distance
 

I managed to catch this broad-winged hawk as it flew over the house. I thought it was carrying nesting material, but when I zoomed in it looks more like the bird has just killed a snake and bringing it back to the nest to feed hawklets.

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This robin was hunting for tidbits but noticed the hawk overhead right away.

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The mourning doves always enjoy the sun when they can get it.

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The purple finches are singing some really lovely tunes, but they've all moved way up in the top of the oaks and it's really difficult to get a picture of them now! So much easier to photograph them in winter when they stay lower.

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Another new arrival passing through is the ruby-crowned kinglet. They're small, drab, fast and cute as the dickens. Very difficult to photograph...took me two weeks to get these two almost decent shots:

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The thickets are crawling with Chipping Sparrows this year! I counted 4 couples at one feeder and 2 more pair at another! So that makes at least 6 possible Chipping Sparrow families this year! :goodvibes:

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The Song Sparrows, while not as numerous, are singing up a storm every morning :D

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The White-throated Sparrows are passing through, too. I hear them more than I see them, though. They're playing hard to get at our house, but they come right out in the open at the in-laws' place. Go figure :frustrated:

I suppose it could be the 8 Nudniks on the prowl along the fences here :rolleyes: :D

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And finally, some warblers to share. These first three are of a Yellow-rumped warbler showing off his back, front and side views :D

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You can see why they're also referred to as butter butts. :D
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And finally, a rather poor pic of our resident male blue-winged warbler, taken from the deck, over the fence and 85 feet away... It's blurry, but you can see the black beak, white wing bars, part of the black eye-stripe, the blue-ish wings, green back and bright yellow head:
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I haven't seen the female yet, but he's staking out the same territory out back in the meadow-in-the-woods that he used last year! :thumbs up I'm hoping I can get a better shot this year, but they're pretty secretive. :o

[QUOTE=hazelrunpack;914734]Let me know when you want me to stop :o [/QUOTE]

Never! Your photographs are as beautiful as they are fascinating. Thank you so much Hazel for sharing with us :grouphug:.

You're welcome :o Good thing you're not tired of pics yet, cuz madame hazel will not relinquish control of the shutter release, no matter how hard we try to take it! :laughing:

Hazel, I love your bird pictures, don't stop. Your pictures are helping me identify some of the birds I see. I took pictures of a sparrow at the dog park and after seeing your pictures I think it was a chipping sparrow. Okay, the last crittter isn't technically a bird, but it did fly up that tree in a hurry getting away from Sunshine:laughing: