Birdless Feeder Update

Perhaps you recall my lament on the birdless feeder. Well, I'm pleased to report that the feeding population has quadrupled this season: we now FOUR regular avian visitors, and seem to have thwarted the rats, somehow. Or they've simply grown too fat and heavy on birdseed to climb up the feeder posts.

In theory, the thumbnails below are "clickable" - click on each for a larger version. They're all being hosted at Photobucket, which is a terrific free service that - at least this evening - runs rings around Blogger's photo-loading utility.

The mouthy scrub jay, who we call Frank, has begun bringing his partner, Ernestine. They are strapping specimens, and a bit large for the feeders...


So they take their seeds to a fence post and crack them open.


The jays announce themselves with a grating, piercing shriek as they sail into the backyard, and the cats - now thoroughly conditioned to it - race to the window from all over the house to watch them.




We've also had regular visits from a pair of house finches.


And though she doesn't count as a "feeder" (because she came to the front window), a mourning dove stopped on the windowsill a couple of times to check on my thesis progress.


...As one of our Ace Birders snoozed soundly about 3 feet away.


She hasn't returned, however, and I suspect she showed up one day when the cats were all awake, and is presently recovering in a cardiac ICU.

Thanks for indulging me. Now for a real bird photo blog, check out Mike's Birding and Digiscoping Blog or Stokes Birding Blog.