Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Backyard Birds


During the cold winter months, plenty of feathered friends visit our backyard for tasty treats and a refreshing sip of water. Black oil sunflower seeds and suet cakes seem to be the most popular snacks. Below are photographs of several birds that have visited our backyard throughout the winter season.


A beautiful Tufted Titmouse selects from many sunflower seeds


Blue Jays seem to favor sunflower seeds, dried corn and unsalted roasted peanuts


White-breasted Nuthatches are quite fond of suet cakes and a variety of seeds


A lovely Dark-eyed Junco samples the seed selection on the ground


Downy Woodpeckers can be seen quite regularly nibbling on suet cakes


 Northern Cardinals visit our feeders most often at dusk. They can't get enough of the fatty sunflower seeds.


Red-bellied Woodpecker ~ These noisy birds fly clumsily in and eagerly feeds on sunflower seeds, corn and suet cakes


Delightful Black-capped Chickadees are the most common of our backyard visitors


Male Northern Cardinal most always arrive accompanied by a mate and  other cardinal couples


Quick moving Red-breasted Nuthatches have been frequent visitors to our feeders this year. Suet cakes and sunflower seeds are their snacks of choice. 


I recently saw a Pileated Woodpecker flying about the area where many of our bird feeders hang. Though the photograph is blurry, I was thrilled to finally snap a shot of one of these shy interesting birds (photograph taken in November)


Tufted Titmouse ~ Delicious!