Bald Eagle and his Friends at the Wetlands

On a clear morning, we took off to the nearby wetland to see if there were any migrant birds passing by.

As we were almost at the wetlands, we saw a Bald Eagle perched on a tall dead tree. 

 

As we got closer,

A branch was covering his head!  No time to change my position!

 There he went....

Next time he will let me take a better one.  Cross my fingers....

Many swallows were flying around close to the water to catch bugs.

Several Cedar Waxwings returned here to finish off the berries.

 

 

Bumble bees were busy collecting nectar at the end of summer.

 

 

Enjoy the new school year. 

 

A Playgound for Young Birds

During summer, I see many young birds in my backyard.  It is a playground for them.  Let's see how they are doing lately.

Young House Sparrow trio in the early morning sun

A young female House Finch drinking at the bird bath

Right when the sun's rays hit the backyard, I can see the reflection of fuchsias on the birdbath.  How pretty!

"This water is so sweet!", says a Blackcapped-Chickadee.

"This flower nectar is sweeter," says a young Anna's Hummingbird. 

 

 

"Sweetest is my backyard owner, 'cause she gives me peanuts every morning," shouted back the young Scrub Jay.

Autumn Is Near - Pileated Woodpecker

Last night was cold, but today is back to the summer again.   A little bit chilly breeze could tell that autumn's returning soon.   Some of the summer birds must have already begun the journey back to the south.   We decided to return to the mountain nature park nearby to see any changes.

A sign of the fall in the colorful leaves

 

Guess who I got to see for the first time.  Someone was hiding the face on the tree trunk up there.   A big red hairdo....

I have seen you in a bird book, but haven't seen you till now.

This is the Pileated Woodpecker; not having the red on the forehead is a female.

One of my field guides tells me that this is the crow-sized, largest woodpecker.  It excavates long oval holes in tree trunks, searching for insects, especially carpenter ants.  It can come to the suet feeder, but prefers to stay in large tracts of woodland.

Out in the park, many fall berries birds love to eat were found:

 Oregon Grape

  Snowberry

  Rose Hips

Enjoy the nature's bounties, everyone.

A Little Friend with the Guts: Anna's Hummingbird

Quite often I see a hummer up on a tall tree hunting for bugs flying around.
This morning, too, I noticed a hummer talking to a big bird.

"Hey, what's up, Aunt Banded Pigeon?"

 "Ready for a breakfast."

"Sometimes, two of us stare each other."

"Most of the times, we are in a blurred confrontation."

"But once in a while, I can pose for a close-up photo.  Just take a good one, please."

Before - During - After: Scrub Jay

In summer many birds like to take a bath.  I have several bird baths in my backyard.  Changing water everyday and brush-cleaning once in a few days are required.

Scrub Jay enjoys taking a bath in the morning sun.

BEFORE

A young Jay ready for a bath

DURING

"Splash, spatter, sprinkle..."

"Done!"

AFTER

"I am the cleanest bird in town."

Dandelions Are Not That Bad - Finch Family

When my backyard was filled with dandelion flowers and seeds due to the delayed lawn mowing, I saw many House Finches and Lesser Goldfinches enjoying these delicacies.

"I am happy in summer, 'cause I just love these seeds."

"Munch, munch, me, too."

"I belong to the Finch family, so no doubt it is my favorite, too."

"I haven't been here for a while, but when spotting these from the above, I needed to stop over."

"Not a bird, but I can try a dandelion once in a while."

I'm glad you all enjoy these flowers.  I 'd better have some all the time."

A Young Bewick's Wren

The summer is half gone.  Tomatoes are ripening quickly.  These mini tomatoes are good for salad.

Early this morning, a young Bewick's Wren appeared with the sound of twitting.

For a quick second, it posed to look at me and then, ...

...swished into the wisteria vines.  

"See you later, Alligators."

(American greeting)

Air Show Day - American Robin

Once a year  there is an Air Show in town.  Many years ago, I used to go there, hanging around under the hot sun all day.  But no more energy for such; I now watch from my backyard Air Force jets swishing by with the high pitched noise with a tailing smoke.

My camera is out for repair due to overuse.  With my old little automatic camera, these photos surprisingly came out.

Completing the show with the stunning burst.

Look!  A bird next to the jet.

After the show, birds were happy flying around, knowing no more ear-piercing noise. 


Under the sizzling heat of the weekend, a young American Robin came to the bird bath.   He/she must be the one fledged from the neighbor's Robin nest not long ago!  You remember the sleepy face in the nest I showed you a month earlier?

(Photos taken by my older SLR camera.)

Just wanted to be with his dad on the bath.

Splash, splash...

"You wanna be the next?  The coolest in town, the best thing there is under the burning sun!  See you later."

Today's Catch - a Bug

An eggplant flower, tiny and purple, is in bloom in my veggie patch. 

Sliced eggplants taste delicious in miso (Japanese fermented soybean paste) soup.

This morning, Uncle House Sparrow was busy digging into the lawn and came out with today's catch.

"I got tired of seeds everyday at the feeders, so I caught this for protein intake."


Since birds in my backyard eat off a majority of pests such as ants, bees, wasps, cutworms, flies, grasshoppers, mosquitoes, etc., I do not need to use pesticides.  This way, nature is kept in balance. 

A Sleepy Time for a Young Wren

With the hot, bright sun, cucumber flowers are in bloom.  I can now harvest skinny Japanese cucumbers, delicious for salad.

Last month I have seen a young Bewick's Wren twitting in the morning sun.

It moves rapidly, but on the fence it stopped for a rest...

....for a quick, short nap. 

A sleepy time in the warm morning sun, zzzzzzz....