swag
October 20, 2016
More of the Usual and Some Unusual

In the past two weeks, I have seen some interesting poses from the regular birds at our feeders and three birds I have not seen for a long time. I think I have them correctly identified, but I welcome any corrections that others can send me.

a black-capped chickadee at the feeder

A Black-capped Chickadee Flits to Our One Feeders (7-Oct-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

a blue-gray gnatcatcher at a feeder

A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Visits Our Other Feeder (14-Oct-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

americn robin in our lawn

American Robin Stands on a Rock Seam in Our Lawn (15-Oct-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

As to the antics of some birds, here are four photos of a female Cardinal.

female cardinal on our feeder looking around

A Female Cardinal Looks Over Her Surroundings from the Feeder (14-Oct-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

female cardinal on the ground #1

Pose #1 of a Female Cardinal on the Ground (15-Oct-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

female cardinal on the ground #2

Pose #2 of a Female Cardinal on the Ground (15-Oct-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

female cardinal on the ground #3

Pose #3 of a Female Cardinal on the Ground (15-Oct-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Now here are photos of the most common of our feeding birds--House Sparrows and House Finches. 

one femal house finch with a seed on the left of the feeder

A Female House Finch Seems Ready to Fly Off with Her Loot (7-Oct-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

another female house finch with a seed on the other side of the feeder

Another Female House Finch on the Other Side of the Same Feeder (7-Oct-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

house sparrows onthe other feedeer

Male and Female House Sparrows on the Other Feeder (11-Oct-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

male house finch gets food

A Male House Finch Uses the Upright Feeder, Too (11-Oct-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

a number of house sparrows work on seeds on the ground

Several House Sparrows Work on the Seeds Spilled on the Ground (11-Oct-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

female house finch sits stately on a feeder

A Stately Female House Finch at the Feeder (17-Oct-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

The usual and the unusual are all fun to watch when it comes to birds at our feeders. They spike my days with some fun views when I work with them on my computer. My bad vision does not let me really observe them in the raw. I thank God for digital cameras and computers. 

October 8, 2016
More Sparrows, Mourning Doves, Cardinals, Etc.

Around our bird feeders in Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA, we see many different animals. Lots of them are regular visitors--squirrels, house sparrows and mourning doves.

a gray squirrel

A Gray Squirrel Scrounging for Seeds (29-Aug-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

two hourse sparrows 

The Very Prolific Import--House Sparrows (31-Aug-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

And here are three mourning dove photos. They are quiet and calm, but they can also defend their opportunity to dig around in the seeds that were spilled from the bird feeders by other birds. 

mourning dove #1 

Morning Dove Photo #1 (31-Aug-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

mourning dove #2 

Morning Dove Photo #2 (31-Aug-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

mourning dove #3 

A Mourning Dove with Its Neck Stretched as It Looks Around (5-Sep-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

There are always the fighting Blue Jays to brighten the colors around the feeders. The last few weeks I have not seen many. I wonder why.

a blue jay on the suet feeder 

A Blue Jay Viewing Its Territory (5-Sep-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Sometimes it is hard for me to discern if I am seeing a male House Sparrows (non-breeding, with small black bib) or a female House Sparrow. But there are all non-breeding males, I believe.

a male house sparrow at the feeder 

One Male House Sparrow (8-Sep-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

two male house sparrows at the feeder 

Two Male House Sparrows (8-Sep-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

A nicely balanced feeder made a fun photo--a female Cardinal and a female House Finch. 

a female cardinal and a female house finch balance the feeder 

A Female Cardinal and a Female House Finch Balance Each Other at the Feeder (9-Sep-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Here are several other interesting photos of some usual visitors to our feeders. 

mourning dove on the shepherd's crook

A Scrunched-Together Mourning Dove (21-Sep-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

two morunnng doves on the ground 

Two Mourning Dove Search Side-by-side for Seeds (23-Sep-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

a female hourse sparrow on the ground 

A Female House Sparrow in the Shadow of a Feeder (23-Sep-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Back in the middle of June (as we go back several  months in time) while we were still in Lezhë, Albania, I captured these two House Sparrows in the throes of breeding. 

house sparrows breeding #1 

Pair of House Sparrows Breeding (15-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

house sparrows breeding #2 

Male House Sparrow Flies Away Momentarily (15-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

house sparrows breeding #3 

And the Male Comes Back Again for a Visit (15-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Several days later when we had come back to Harrisonburg, VA, USA, I found these birds in the yard of Elsie's sister, Alice, and her husband Dennis. 

two female house sparrows on a low wall 

Two Presumed Female House Sparrows (25-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

a male cardinal searches for food on the ground 

A Male Cardinal Hunts at the Edge of the Bark Mulch (25-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

a female cardinal on the ground 

A Female Cardinal Hunts in the Bark Mulch (25-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

male house sparrow on a low wall 

A Male House Sparrow Flaunts His Plummage (25-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

starling on the ground 

A Starling Checks for Bugs in the Grass (25-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

At the end of June, I also found this Red Admiral butterfly on some coneflower blooms in Harrisonburg. Wikipedia says, "The Red Admiral has a 45–50 mm (1.8–2.0 in) wing span." And that fits these photos were well. According to Wikipedia in winters in south Texas and migrates to the upper parts of the US for summer.

Red Admiral Butterfly (Vanessa atalanta) on a cone flower #1 

Erect Wings of a Red Admiral Butterfly (Vanessa atalanta) on a Cone Flower (28-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

butterfly on a cone flower #2 

Spread-out Wings of a Red Admiral Butterfly (Vanessa atalanta) on a Cone Flower (28-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

From June 28 through July 1, I was able to catch photos of a variety of birds at the feeders in our relative's yard. Non were real unusual, but it was fun to see the variety of types of births I had captured with my camera.

make downy woodpecker at the feeder 

A Downy Woodpecker on the Vertical Feeder (28-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

female house sparrow on the feeder 

Female House Sparrow on the Same Feeder (29-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

male downy woodpecker on the shepherd's crook 

A Downy Woodpecker after a "Hair-raising" Experience? (29-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

male hourse sparrow on the shepherd's crook 

A Male House Sparrow in Breeding Plumage (29-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

male house finch at a feeder 

Beautiful Red Head of a Male House Finch (29-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

female house finch on a shepherd's crook 

Female House Finch Checks Out the Scene Below (29-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

red-bellied woodpecker grabs a seed to eat 

Red-bellied Woodpecker Found a Sunflower Seed (29-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

male house finch at a feeder 

Male House Finch Looks Over the Scene Around Him (29-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

male house finch bows his head to look down 

Male House Finch Looks at the Scene Below Him (29-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

female house finch at feeder looks my way 

A Female House Finch Checks Out Me and My Camera (29-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

northern mocking bird on the ground 

Northern Mockingbird on the Ground (30-Jun-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

northern mocking bird on an electrical wire 

Northern Mockingbird on an Electrical Wire (1-Jul-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

A week and a half later, I again try my hand at photographing some birds on an electrical wire strung across the street by the apartment we were staying in. 

european starling on an electrical wire 

Another Imported Species: European Starling (11-Jul-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

mourning dove on an electrical wire 

Mourning Dove Up on an Electrical Wire (13-Jul-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Northern Mockingbird on an Electrical Wire #1 (13-Jul-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Northern Mockingbird on an Electrical Wire #2 (13-Jul-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

 

Northern Mockingbird on an Electrical Wire #3 (13-Jul-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

Backing up to July 4, my Dad. our sons and some grandchildren visited Grub Lake near Landisville, Pennsylvania, USA. In addition to fishing (which did not net us any fish!), we also observed a Black Rat snake. 

a black rat snake hiding under some low undergrowth 

Coiled-up Black Rat Snake (4-Jul-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

the head of the black rat snake 

The Head of the Black Rat Snake (4-Jul-16; © Richard L. Bowman)

I thank God for the variety of wildlife that he has made sure to inhabit our daily living spaces. It is thrilling to see all the different designs of birds (colors, size and structure) and the many shapes and weights of animals, too. So keep you eyes open, and I will keep mine open, too. In awe and wonder we can observe the natural world around us.

--©2014-16, Richard L. Bowman

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