To All The Nature Lovers Out There....

Julie928 · ‎04-08-2013

The simple things in life make me really happy. This afternoon was ordinary ~ I cleaned the filter for our backyard pond, filled the birdfeeders then went inside to get caught up with the dusting. I heard the white-throated sparrows singing outside our back window and went to see if I could spot them. In the elderberry bush just outside our window was the most gorgeous male rose-breasted grosbeak! He's back!!! Last year we had three pairs of them visiting our yard. I'm so excited to finally see him again! He sat there and let me take several pictures and even sang a tune for me before flying off. Hopefully his mate will be visiting us soon. I want so badly to post a picture here but every time I try a message pops up that the file is too large. Things such as this make me happy. Something so simple yet so beautiful...I hope all of you are having a wonderful day! :-)

Kachina624 · ‎03-10-2010

How fortunate you are to have such nice birds visiting you! I mostly have sparrows and doves which are not too exciting but an occasional purple finch sings a pretty song and the swallows have come back to Capistrano East.

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment

country gal · ‎03-25-2010

I saw a male Cardinal the other day and it just made me smile. That's why I love living in the country..surrounded by nature. Enjoy the beauty where you are.

Julie928 · ‎04-08-2013

Just after I posted this a house wren was checking out the sparrow's nest (again, outside our back window). That's the first time I saw a house wren this year, too! Now if the hummingbirds, thrushes & warblers show up I'll really be over the moon!!! :-)

PINKdogWOOD · ‎05-13-2010

@Julie928 Sounds like yo u're standing in my kitchen perring o ut my window, with it open you can hear our pond. We watch and listen to the birds all the time too, wathc who's hanging on the suet pecking away at it, seeing the pesky squirrels hanging upside down on the suet or flying through the air from the holly to the feeder. The birds hate those things!!! They're (sqrrls) always in the way.

We watch all three sizes of red-headed wood peckers at the suet. You never know which one will stop by, lately it's been the smallest of the three.

Nice grosbeaks at your place, good for you. My husband is the real birdman here, he's knows all who hang here. He calls to them especially the carolina wrens. They sing back. Early in the mornings when DH is leaving for work (7ish or so) we have 'honkers' (geese) as I so affectionately call them - our dog Wallace looks up to see them fly by.

We have two ponds in out yard - one in ground that DH dug out years ago, not that far from the back door and a metal formed one way out back. As it's shallow I love to do that one up with a couple of palm plants, flowering hyacith that bloomed beautifully the last 2 years I ha[[y to say, lettuce plants. Looks great as the summer progresses.

So yes, the simplest things in life make us very happy. We spend a lot of time just gazing out that window just watching and loving life. Doesn't get much better does it?

chickenbutt · ‎03-09-2010

I love all the birdies, but I don't know most of their names except for the doves and quail, both of which we have aplenty.

All the little bitty birdies are just called 'little bitty birdies'. Then there are the polka dot birdies (black irridescent feathers with white tips on feathers so they look like polka dots), the striped headed birdies, the striped tummy birdies, and the red-eyed birdies. Oh, and the little yellow birdies.

But I also know the names of the 'blue birdies'. They are called scrub jays. They look, body-type, like a bluejay except no crest. Cute! They are ALL cute!

They all give me so much pleasure and I've taken thousands of pictures over the last several years. It's about the only 'hobby' type thing I have left.

Kachina624 · ‎03-10-2010

@chickenbutt I used to see scrub jays frequently but they started building houses around me so I guess the terrain is no longer scrubby enough because I haven't seen one for a long time. What part of the country do you live in?

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment

chickenbutt · ‎03-09-2010

Hi Kachina! I'm in Northern Nevada. I see a fair amount of them here.

cotton4me · ‎03-09-2010

How nice to see your birds return. They bring so much joy. We don’t have much of a yard but we live near a nature park so I go there every day to walk and take photos. I’ve watched a couple of woodpeckers carve out their nests in trees. I hope to see their babies. I check on them every day.

GingerPeach · ‎03-12-2010

@chickenbutt wrote:
I love all the birdies, but I don't know most of their names except for the doves and quail, both of which we have aplenty.

All the little bitty birdies are just called 'little bitty birdies'. Then there are the polka dot birdies (black irridescent feathers with white tips on feathers so they look like polka dots), the striped headed birdies, the striped tummy birdies, and the red-eyed birdies. Oh, and the little yellow birdies.

But I also know the names of the 'blue birdies'. They are called scrub jays. They look, body-type, like a bluejay except no crest. Cute! They are ALL cute!

They all give me so much pleasure and I've taken thousands of pictures over the last several years. It's about the only 'hobby' type thing I have left.

@chickenbutt

Those sound like starlings. Do you have a bird identification book?