My flat top robin friend stopped by this morning. He has been nesting in or near our yard and visiting off and on during the fall and winter for a little over four years. I was so flattered that he landed right in front of me when I was outside this morning. He was doing a lot of talking and I thought, as we humans do, it was all about me. I went back inside to get my camera. When I came out, there were robins everywhere (and a flicker). I think all the talking my robin friend was doing was calling his buddies to come for the raisins and fresh water. Robin party! Click on pictures to enlarge.
Tag Archives: northern flicker
Yellow-bellied sapsucker and other backyard visitors
Now that we have the feeders up, our list of backyard visitors is incredible. Click on pictures to enlarge.
Flicker family
We’ve had a family of northern flickers visiting the yard lately. Since we seem to have plenty of ants these days, I imagine that is one of the reasons. 🙂 They are just so cute with their stripes and polka dots. Click on pictures to enlarge.
Northern flicker
This young flicker was very busy digging for ants when I stopped to take his picture. I love their combination of stripes and polka dots. It always makes me think of my mom, who would tell me when I would dress myself as a kid, “We don’t wear stripes and polka dots together.” Clearly northern flickers did not get the message. They might also be wearing white after Labor Day. Click on pictures to enlarge.
More snow
I spent some time out playing in the snow this morning. While I think many of us in these parts are over it, maybe the thing to do is just embrace it. It is lovely to look at and it is still coming down. Click on pictures to enlarge.
That bird lady
It is such a pleasure to sit in my office and watch the diversity of visitors to the yard. One of the best spots for taking pictures is crouched between the back of the car and the garage. More than one neighbor has done a double take when seeing me sitting on the ground behind the car. Hopefully, they see the camera and don’t think I am too crazy, but I guess I don’t really mind being the crazy neighbor. 🙂 Click on pictures to enlarge.
Yard birds and one happy squirrel
The backyard is a wonderful place to spend some time. So many of us run out to our cars, run into the office, grocery store, etc., and never stop and look around, or look up. We’ve been trying to make a point of having our morning coffee in the yard (at least while it is still warm enough to do so). Once you start looking, start really paying attention to all the beings around you, you may find you’re not able to stop, and that’s not a bad thing. It happened to me. Click on pictures to enlarge.
Backyard friends
The tree trimmers have been slicing and dicing the neighborhood for a few weeks now. I understand it has to be done around the power lines, but this is so much more than pruning. I’ve been concerned about all those who live in the trees and/or depend on them. I spent some time out in the yard this weekend and was very happy to see most of the usual visitors accounted for. I’m glad this “trimming” isn’t going on during nesting time. I was happy to see our white-headed cardinal friend, though she was too fast this morning for a picture. I did manage to get a couple of pictures of her handsome partner. I also spotted a flicker, red-bellied woodpecker, white-throated sparrow, hungry titmice, and a very curious bunny. Click on pictures to enlarge.
A morning at Lone Star Lake
We don’t often get out to this lake, but it is always a treat, particularly during a weekday morning when we’re the only humans around. Click on pictures to enlarge.