swag
January 14, 2017
Not House-bound But Still Watching Our Bird Feeders

In November as I waited for and got ready for my back surgery (done on December 2) and then have been recuperating since then, I have not added to any of these nature photography blogs of mine. So let's see if I can restart and the keep them up.

Since the time we were away from our home for my surgery, we have not seen the usual large groups of birds at our feeders. In fact about all we have seen have been Juncos and Mourning Doves with very occasionally another bird. Have the cats in the neighborhood scared the House Sparrows, House Finches and Cardinals away?

Junco in the snow

A Junco Visits Us on Our First Good Snowstorm (9-Jan-17; © Richard L. Bowman)

Junco in the snow-2

This Junco Is Not Sure about Looking at Visitors (9-Jan-17; © Richard L. Bowman)

Back on December 30, we had a dusting of snow, but it was cold.

a cold mourning dove

A Mourning Dove Hunts for Food and Puffs Up to Stay Warm (30-Dec-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

On the day before our fist dusting of snowfall, I captured a female Cardinal in our flowering plum tree.

female cardinal in a tree (I) 

female cardinal in a tree (II)

female cardinal in a tree (III)

A Female Cardinal in a Tree Trying to Stay Warm and Looking Around (29-Dec-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

I am glad to see the Juncos that come to our feeding area, particularly  if there are not many other kinds of birds visiting us. However, trying to get a good photo of a Junco is not easy. They seem to have lots of quick movements even when being apparently still, and the black eye does not contrast well with the dark gray upper body color. So I will show several Junco photos trying to find the best one.

a Junco on the ground

A Junco on the Ground the Day Before Christmas (24-Dec-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Capturing the male Cardinal below is one of the photos I am most excited about--good lighting and well in foocus.

a male cardinal in a tree

A Cardinal in a Tree with Sunlight through the Comb of Feathers on Its Head (19-Dec-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

male house sparrow in a tree

It Was a Cold Day for This Male House Sparrow (19-Dec-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

another Junco on the ground looking backwards

Another Junco But Looking Away from the Camera (12-Dec-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

male cardinal on a cold day in a tree

A Male Cardinal on a Cold Day (29-Nov-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

a male House Sparrow in the top of a tree

A Male House Sparrow on a Cold Day (29-Nov-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Watching a Gray Squirrel darting around on a tree is fun. It is energy personified.

gray squirrel in a tree eating seeds

A Gray Squirrel Eating Some Seeds (18-Dec-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

I hope you  have enjoyed these photos as much as I have, and check back soon for more.

--2014-17, Richard L. Bowman

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