Lesser Goldfinch

Last year I did not see much of the lesser goldfinches.  Once in a while they showed up, 1 or 2 at a time.  So, I checked with Audubon Society's bird count data, but their population seemed to be not on the decline.  So they were just busy elsewhere and might find their way back to my backyard soon.

Lesser Goldfinches come here most of the year around except in the cold winter months.   They are smaller than American Goldfinches.  The male has a black cap and a greenish back (western states).  The female and the juvenile have dull yellow.

On a windy spring day, a male lesser was singing.

On a sunny June day, a couple of them fled to the top of a pine tree away from my camera lens.

On a hot day,  a male has to stop for a drink.

One very hot September day,  a whole family crowded into the bird bath. 

They like to eat seeds all the time (no insects please) and their summer favorite is dandelion seeds.  So I try to save some instead of pulling them all out (no pesticides are used here).   

 Sunflower leaves are another favorite.  First time seeing them eating dandelion seeds and munching on sunflower leaves was quite a surprise to me.

In the fall, they looked for fallen seeds after the garden was all cleared.  A lot of things to do here in my backyard.

Come back in the spring time.

Spotted Towhee

I have not seen  a Towhee for a while in my backyard.  Probably because it went to the coast where it is warmer than here in the inland. 

In spring, it often flies onto my fruit tree and then to the fence looking for some seeds on the ground.

A few times I noticed  Mr. (black) and Mrs. (brown) Towhee came together finding food among the little violet flowers,

 and then through the iris bushes.

Early in the morning, I sometimes heard one singing not a melodious song, but a simple trill of various speed up on a tree.

"I will be back when spring flowers start to bloom.  See you soon."

Mourning Dove

Have you ever heard of a sad cooing from somewhere above?  A few years ago when I did, I thought about an owl.  But I was wrong.  Who could it be? 

It was from a Mourning Dove. 

First they were very cautious, so they stayed on the fence to check on me.

When I got a birdbath out on the lawn in spring, they thought they would try it.

By autumn, one got the nerve to get closer to my patio. 

Nowadays, they come to my backyard often to walk around and find seeds.    One even tried to tell me,  "Yes, you have passed our safety inspection.  We will visit you often."

Red-breasted Nuthatch

When I hear a high-pitched, nasal sound like a toy tin horn, I know who is coming:  a little bird with a unique look called "Red-breasted Nuthatch"

Its characteristic is to walk downward, which all the other birds can't do.

 See.  No matter where it is, it can walk downward without any effort.

Some say you can tame a curious bird such as nuthatch or chickadee easily.  One time when I was out in my backyard, a young nuthatch saw me peeking through a camera lens.  I got a bit closer, and the nuthatch even came closer hopping to me!!!

Here it is.  A very close look of a curious young bird

(too close for a telephoto lens)

 A male has a black cap, while a female and a juvenile have a duller cap and paler underparts.

It likes to eat sunflower seeds.

On a snowy day, it comes here to find its favorite suet.

House Sparrow

Last spring I set up a bird nest box and soon someone was carrying in some nest material.

In the early summer,  I found house sparrows were using the new box.  Later, a young one was peeking out waiting for a parent to return.

Babies soon learned to fly and then out into my backyard.

See, even outside of the nest, it still liked to get fed for a while.  But pretty soon it learned to get food on its own and become independent.

"Now I can fly over a tall pine tree, Ya ho!"

"I can have a drink whenever I get thirsty!"

"I am enjoying a stroll among dandelions to find a bug."

My mother used to tell me, "Many years ago, I used to get up with a sparrow's chirping in the morning without an alarm clock."   Well, although I no longer have to get up early to get to work,  House Sparrows still wake me up early in the morning.

P.S. I checked the bird box at the end of summer to see how it looked like inside. 

Aha, it is stuffed with everything!!  Hundreds of trips to make that comfortable bed.  A lot of work required to make a nest. 

Bewick's Wren

This little bird appears with a loud, flat,  hollow "jip" calling.  When I first heard it, I looked around to see it flying straight like an arrow from one place to another.

Bewick's Wren visits my backyard often throughout the year.  When the suet is crowded with other birds, it can eat the dropped suet chunks on the ground.

 The wren has inconspicuous color, so it is important to let others know loud and clear by saying,  "This is my turn to gabble the suet!"

Sometimes it likes to dance pretty on the fence for me to see.

New Year's Greetings

Happy New Year!

謹賀新年!

新年快楽! 

Backyard birds like to send you their 2012 greetings:

European Starling:  "I'm diving into my 2012 gracefully."

Yellow-rumped Warbler: " I have landed into the 2012 safe and sound."

Pine Siskin:  "I have found a new feeder all by myself."

"On this New Year's Day, I'm predicting a very good year for all birds and other living things in this backyard."