H.J. Ruiz – Avian101 – Page 622 – "My Backyard Visitors" – All about birds

Show and Tail

Tags: House Finch, nature, photography, photos of birds

Panoramic View of Birds

Common Grackle (M) —Click on the image to see enlargement —

Tags: birds, Common Grackle, nature, photography, photos of birds

Gotcha!

PLEASE EXCUSE FOR THE BRIEF ABSENCE. I HAD TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES WITH MY SERVER AND MODEM – HJ Ruiz

While I continued my watch on the Eastern Bluebirds, this time I saw the male bluebird going for an earth worm and I was able to photograph a short sequence of the mechanics involving to catch one.

The bluebird was watching from a high point and suddenly dropped himself to the ground a I saw him doing some pecking and then pulling this long worm and flying with it to the top of a feeder’s stand where he proceeded to eat the worm, just like eating spaghetti! I took notice that the male bluebird did not take the worm to the nest.

I didn’t know if he would be regurgitating it later for the chicks later.

Just the fact that a bird can see a worm from afar is mind boggling!. They must have an incredible sense of sight!

Overall, I’m happy that they decided to stay and nest in my backyard this year. Their plumage colors are no doubt attention getters, My neighbors are dying to see at least one bluebird in their backyards. To me, these birds are giving me great opportunities to know more about them and have a good photo archive with my captures.

Photo Gallery

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— 5 — Burp!

Text and photographs © HJ Ruiz – Avian101

Tags: birds, Eastern Bluebird, nature, photography, photos of birds

Chez H.J.

Sometimes I get the feeling that I’m running a restaurant of the avian kind, if you catch my drift, I cater meals for every bird that come this way daily, regardless if local or just passing by, they find meals already served. If I go to bed very late and the following day I wake up late, I look out the window and I can see a bunch of birds already waiting, looking at me like saying “Are you opening or what?”

I do feel bad when I know that I’m late for their meals, poor guys, besides they have family to feed too! So that’s how I’ve become an avian Restauranteur. Once in a while I try new seeds I see how they fare, to find out whether they like them or not, I will know soon enough when I see the birds thrashing the seeds and spilling them to the floor so they can select only the ones they like. Birds are not dumb d’you know?

There are larger birds such as the Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackle that as soon as they get to the feeders (clay saucers) they push away smaller birds. This action would anger some people and feel a bit dislike of those birds, but if they only would keep observing then the alleged bully-scene would definitely have another meaning. The large bird would thrash hard with its beak and send many seeds to the ground where all the smaller birds will continue their feeding. Birds, by being larger need more space to move around, considering that almost every bird feeders have been designed for small birds!