Wednesday Wings and Others

Sharing some photos taken today in our "backyard" today. The internet went down for a while, so I escaped outside:-) We have a lot of birds and little critters coming through, but some of them are so fast, they've been a real challenge to photograph. I thought hummingbirds were hard! The birds hadn't been coming to our newly placed feeder, so we started putting some seed on the ground. As you can imagine, everyone has been enjoying it, and we're enjoying watching the activity!

A very handsome male House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) who even sang for a bit.

Mrs. House Finch, who didn't mind my presence that much - the finches were the calmest visitors.

A Juniper Titmouse (Baeolophus griseus) before s/he flew down to the seed. These little birds are so cute, make such an assortment of noises, and move so darn fast! By the time my camera focuses, they're usually somewhere else.

This is the same Juniper Titmouse - can't believe I actually caught him/her so close!

Now it's a good thing these next two little critters are so darn cute. They've been eating my newly planted container plants, and once they've discovered they like something, nothing seems to deter them. I only use organic methods, and right now my garden smells like an Italian restaurant with all the powdered garlic and other spices. Whether or not I get any tomatoes will remain to be seen - I'll have to try to find some netting or something. Like I said, it's a good thing these guys are adorable and so entertaining to watch:-)

Uinta Chipmunk? (Neotamias umbrinus)

White-tailed Antelope Squirrel (Ammospermophilus leucurus)

Still have some more subjects I'm trying to get good photos of, so stay tuned!

Recent "Backyard" Bird Photos

These are some recent bird sightings around our home. They're not really backyard shots, because we don't have much of a backyard, lol! I'll explain each photo in the caption below it. I'd love to hear what birds are visiting your area now - spring is such an awesome birding time!

"Just Look Over Your Shoulder, Baby!" ;-) American Goldfinch on the old TV aerial. I was actually up on a ladder taking photos of items for our store (good way to get full overview). I spotted this beauty through the crack between our carport and shed. I angled myself very quietly and carefully, as the ladder is a bit rickety. I was surprised to get this!

"A Little Shower", I spotted this little White-Crowned Sparrow on the other side of the wall on a dark, rainy afternoon. It was a little too late in the day, and too dark, but I took it anyways, and just adjusted it:-)

"Receptive", I believe this is a House Finch (male with diluted color?), up on the top part of the antenna. The foreground blur is from weeds in the rain gutters, lol! Time to clean them.

"Look Out Below!" Not sure if this is a Cooper's Hawk. I do know that I shouldn't take my eyes off the prize. I'd gone outside because I'd seen him flying, but he wasn't coming close enough, and I got distracted by the honey bees in the fiddlenecks below after the hawk had disappeared at the end of the field. Next thing I knew, he came back, and I barely had time to get my camera up and adjusted - duh! ;-)

"Mr. House Finch", original title, I know. This was actually taken through my bedroom window, and brightened in Photoshop Elements.

"Ack!", Mrs. House Finch, who was visiting with her hubby above:-)