Let’s Make a Deal!
I’ve been doing hard yard work lately, my backyard is looking good, better that my scratched legs! Flowers are appearing all over and the pollen situation is really bad because it hasn’t rained lately, we need rain to wash some of the pollen off the air and everything else. I have my resident tenants and “regulars” birds well taken care and they pose daily for me to shoot my camera, that’s our deal!
I guess you didn’t know that!
How can I say no to such good looking bunch? All appear to be well fed and healthy, I’m spending more $ for variety of seed so everyone gets their favorite seeds. Why not?
Northern Cardinal (M)
Northern Cardinal (F)
Northern Mockingbird
Carolina Chickadee
Red-winged Blackbird (M)
Brown-headed Cowbird (M)
Red-winged Blackbird (F) Top
Brown-headed Cowbird (F) Bottom
Click on images to see enlargement versions
Text and photographs are © H.J. Ruiz – Avian 101
H.J. Ruiz - Avian101 
What a variety and I know what you mean about buying their favourite seed – so lovely! Fantastic pictures!
Thank you for your comment Julie! 🙂
Money spent on bird seed is money well spent. It is cheaper than going to the cinema and more entertaining.
You got it right Tom! 🙂
Wow such a wide range of friends coming by to visit. I am lucky if I see a Humming Bird and a Baltimore Oriole in the same day :-). Great photos!
Thanks MD! 🙂
Such beautiful little beings. How did you learn the names H.J.?
I do research and study books. I’ve been doing it for three years now. The birds are amazing creatures! 🙂
I’m impressed with your knowledge of each one. I picked up a chart of the local birds where I live. Over 200 because we many water fowl as well. I better get busy. It’s my goal to photograph all 200 and document each one. I may have a bit of a problem getting close to the Eagle however. LOL
BD, I would take that as a challenge and keep busy!
I know you can do it! 🙂
Some great lookin birds, struttin their stuff. Love those Cardinals 🙂
Yep! You ain’t kiddin D.! 🙂
Love those cardinals! Wish they came around our place more often, I love their vibrant color….maybe because red is my favorite color! 🙂
They are very familiar with my backyard, I see them every day! 🙂
Ii went exploring here in San Diego yesterday (all by myself, unfortunately) and found a field of dozens of blackbirds. Unfortunately, they were not being photogenic so I came home with nary a good picture of them. The field was also full of thistle and laurel sumac (which causes severe dermatitis for me), so I couldn’t reach them with my 300mm lens.
Photographing blackbirds is tricky because it fools the light meter of the camera. Stay away from poison sumac! if you react to it! For me is the poison oak, if I get some of the resin on my skin it’s like a burning with a hot iron!
I have severe reactions to poison ivy, poison oak, and not only poison sumac, but anything in the sumac family.
A decade ago I bought a property that was overgrown with laurel sumac. Not knowing how allergic I am to sumacs, I basically bathed in the stuff while I was removing it from the property. Never been in so much agony in my life since I was covered head to toe in an itchy red rash.
Where I live now I have no problems with plants, except some bushes that have thorns so sharp that you feel pain just looking at them. I usually get stung by black wasps, yellow jackets, fire ants a lot and misc. bugs. while I work in my backyard. I do not react to that at all.