My Red Visitors!

When I saw this georgeous Cardinal land on my deck and begin to feast on the seeds that had fallen to the ground, I was excited to capture him on film.  He certainly brightened up my day!

 

New Spring Birds!

I can't believe that there is still snow in April, but there certainly is!  My birds are still coming by and I have a few "new" species visiting my feeders. I was hoping to put out my hummingbird feeders this month, but I don't think they have come this far north yet with this crazy weather. Enjoy my new photos!


Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Dark-Eyed Junco

Goldfinch - Winter Molting

Purple Finch

Morning Dove

A Pileated Woodpecker!!

While I was in town today, my husband saw this huge Pileated Woodpecker come to check out our bird feeder and landed on our suet feeder.  It looks like he's a bit large for this feeder but that does not deter him from getting a bite to eat!  I was so happy that my husband grabbed the camera and captured this special moment just for me!

As Promised....Some Sketches!

Over the past 2 weeks while my feeders were down, I did do a few rough sketches, so as I promised, here are a few of them......

 

A very quick, rough sketch done in watercolor & ink



A better start in pencil




Graphite Pencil



Watercolor & Ink 


 

A Reminder:
It's time to get those brushes wet!

My Feeders Are Back Up !!

Redpoll & Chickadee visiting my feeder.

 

After having my feeders down for a couple of weeks, I cleaned the deck & railings completely with a bleach solution.  I also threw out all of the accumulating seeds that had fallen to the ground underneath the feeder.  I contacted the DNR and reported a dozen birds that had died.  Since then the number has increased to around 15+.  The only birds affected were the Redpolls and Pine Siskins.  I do hope you have learned from my experiences that if you feed your backyard birds, be sure to keep your feeders clean!

Look Whoooooooo !

Northern Saw-whet Owl

 

This morning while reading in my sanctuary, I heard a "thump" and when I looked up, I saw a glimpse of a bird that had hit the patio window and then flew off.  He landed on top of the pole that normally holds my bird feeder.  I could not believe it, when I saw him.......just the cutest little owl.  I grabbed my camera and took this photo of him and he just sat there for a long time as he was recovering from the shock of hitting the window.  I have no idea why he came by, but when I looked him up on the Internet, I read that they like mice and we have seen the tiny footprints of them scurrying across our patio deck.

Where have all the birdies gone?

I finally had to take all my feeders down when I discovered that my birds were not dying from hitting the windows, but from salmonella!   Apparently, February is a common time of year for birds to contract this disease.  It seems that if you have lots of birds and the feeders are busy, they leave their droppings that contaminate the seeds that fall to the ground.

I do miss seeing my birds, but for now they have dispersed to other feeders while I am disinfecting my own and the deck area where they usually feed.  I'm a bit lonely these days, however, a Downy Woodpecker still visits my suet hanging up on a nearby tree and this little red squirrel has been coming by ever since my birds left.