Category Archives: Backyard Birds

Red Bird Day

  By packbawky | 09/04/2013 - 4:57 pm |
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It’s been grey and bleak in the garden, today: I wanted to photograph the chickadees that are now all over my feeder, but the gloom ruined every last shot. So it’s red bird day, instead, with an American robin and a cheery wee house finch. I was hoping for a northern flicker, to round out the trio, but those seem to have the wit to stay out of the rain.

This bird grubbed about in the garden for hours, plucking up dead grasses and flying off with them, then coming back for more. It must be building a nest.

This bird grubbed about in the garden for hours, plucking up dead grasses and flying off with them, then coming back for more. It must be building a nest.

Every time I try to photograph this finch, a crow flies up and frightens it away. Just after I took this picture, and just before the crow arrived, Mr. Finch opened his beak, and burst into song. I wish I could've captured that on film, somehow. It was quite a pleasant song.

Every time I try to photograph this finch, a crow flies up and frightens it away. Just after I took this picture, and just before the crow arrived, Mr. Finch opened his beak, and burst into song. I wish I could’ve captured that on film, somehow. It was quite a pleasant song.

I’ll never get tired of…BIRD TONGUES!

  By packbawky | 03/04/2013 - 4:39 pm | ,
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Why do I find bird tongues so amusing? I don’t know. They’re just tongues. Birds have to, ehh…lick stuff, too, one presumes. But every time a bird sticks out its tongue, I laugh at it. Especially when it looks like this:

Finally, a use for burst mode: capturing bird yawns in stop motion!

Finally, a use for burst mode: capturing bird yawns in stop motion!

Doesn't this make you want to yawn?

Doesn’t this make you want to yawn?

Are you yawning, yet?

Are you yawning, yet?

Question for the Internet: is there any way to encourage birds, especially crows, to open their beaks? — without annoying, damaging, or touching them, that is? The gulls are quite obliging with their tongues, but for all my efforts to photograph the inside of a crow’s mouth, I’ve yet to get that lucky shot. Maybe if my regular crows bring their fledglings round my feeder, they’ll feed them right there, like the sparrows do. If that happens, I should be able to snap a crow tongue, or two.

Also, here are some starlings —

I still haven't been able to get properly close to a starling. I keep putting peanuts out, hoping they'll see them, and come for a snack, but the gulls snap them up right away. Who knew gulls liked peanuts?

I still haven’t been able to get properly close to a starling. I keep putting peanuts out, hoping they’ll see them, and come for a snack, but the gulls snap them up right away. Who knew gulls liked peanuts?

Starlings, tearing up the lawn. Can't imagine Mr. Dolgonosov's too fond of these.

Starlings, tearing up the lawn. Can’t imagine Mr. Dolgonosov’s too fond of these.

— and one more gull, to round things out:

Say it; don't spray it. Give us the news, not the weather. Also, sod off.

Say it; don’t spray it. Give us the news, not the weather. Also, sod off.