Thursday, April 26, 2012

Pretty Spring Birds


It's been a busy spring! Unfortunately, I have had little time to venture out for bird viewing. During my few excursions, I was able to catch sight of many common spring visitors. This post features several beautiful birds recently seen in the city of Chicago and at our Indiana country property.


A resplendent male Wood Duck enjoys a dip in North Pond


 ~ The peach orchard fence makes for a perfect insect hunting perch for this male Eastern Bluebird  ~
I'm thrilled to report that this bluebird and his mate currently have eggs in one of our property nest boxes


~ A handsome Brown Thrasher forages amid the ground  cover ~ 
I most often hear these birds rustling through fallen crunchy leaves before I am able to spot them. On this day, I was lucky to see at least twelve Brown Thrashers.


Flushed from the grass, a stunning Le Conte's Sparrow sits atop a fallen tree limb ~ A life bird for me!


Beauty among the wildflowers ~ Hermit Thrush


Quite the leggy catch for this lovely Dark-eyed Junco


~ This House Finch pair was especially vocal up in the trees before they stopped by for a sunflower snack ~ 
The cheerful twittering song of these birds is quite pleasing to the ears


A friendly Black-capped Chickadees sits upon a perch above one of our bird baths


A hungry Fox Sparrow feeds in the grass


~ A radiant redhead ~ Red-bellied Woodpecker  ~
Their noisy vocalizations are often heard on our beautiful Indiana property


~ One of many female Northern Cardinals seen on my birding excursion ~ 
The Northern Cardinal is the most popular state bird. Seven states have adopted this bird, Illinois and Indiana are included


~  A Northern Flicker seeks tasty tidbits in the grass ~ 
Ants and beetles are the insects of choice for this bird



70 comments:

Susan's domain said...

Awesome post with wonderful photos Julie

Kerri Farley said...

Oh Julie .... my heart flutters when I see a new post from you. These are sooooo lovely! That Life Bird is absolutely stunning!! Congrats!

Scott (@NESASK) said...

Fantastic photos, Julie! The Le Conte's Sparrow is gorgeous, and you got a stunning photo. And a life bird too!

Marco Luijken said...

Hello Julie,
Wonderful all these great pictures!!
It's really amazing how you get all these special birds in beautiful and funny poses. Good sharpness and very wonderful colors. Funny to see that Northern Cardinal with his tuft on his little head.
This is really enjoyment!!

Much greetings,
Marco

Dan said...

Always thrilled to see a post from you! Your bird photographs are absolutely stunning.

What does the term 'lifer' mean?

You should consider describing your country home/property. It sounds like a wonderful place for birding and nature.

Laurence Butler said...

Super images Julie! I love the Le Conte's Sparrow shot and the Brown Thrasher. They're totally stunning birds and I've never seen them before.

Your Indiana/Chicago spring looks very lovely.

PoetessWug said...

Each and every one...beautiful in it's own right. It's almost impossible to have a favorite! ^_^ But I do!..The one dressed in his little black and white formal wear. *Teehee*

Gillian Olson said...

Beautiful pictures of gorgeous birds.

Bets said...

Hello Julie
What a beautiful pictures from al the birds, very great.
Greetings Bets

Ruth Hiebert said...

Spectacular images. The beauty in each of these birds is a treat to the eye.Each one is different but all are gorgeous.

Joop Zand said...

Great shots with lovely colors...... compliments.

Greetings, Joop

Giancarlo said...

Fotografie bellissime, ma l'anatra ha dei colori meravigliosi!!
buona serata...ciao

de schoonheid van de natuur said...

Hello Julie,
wat een geweldige foto's van die vogels erg mooi.
groetjes Herman,

TexWisGirl said...

every single shot is just stunning! the fox sparrow and the le conte are both gorgeous! and the thrasher made me homesick for Wis. :)

thanks for this beauty, julie!

Debbie said...

oh julie, you have some beautiful images included here. i spend hours and hours photographing birds and it brings me so much joy!! i can see it does for you also. we are so lucky!!

the northern flicker is my favorite, i see them here in the fall, for only a day or two.

beautiful girly cardinal and i think the red bellied is female as well!! you have captured all their beauty!!

Rohrerbot said...

Isn't it amazing how spring will do that to us?? It gets so busy that we don't have the time to bird, etc. I feel the same way...exhausted. But soon I'll be able to get out more and see the action. Love your pictures. I love House Finches. This year I have so many of them....it's really wonderful.

Ellie said...

What an amazing set of pictures. Every one of those little birds are beautiful. You have captured them beautifully.

Derek & Chris Thomas said...

Just beautiful, again!!

Unknown said...

Some real beauties here Julie!!

Whimbrel Nature said...

Great series as usual Julie!

Horst in Edmonton said...

I love your bird photos, they are all beautiful.

Bob Bushell said...

They are beautiful, but, I love the Brown Thrasher, it is superb. Grand photos.

MoiCLouLou said...

Hello Julie,

Now I can see why you were saying we have the same birds!
But, like you, I've never seen a Le Conte's Sparrow, and its beautiful!
All your pictures are stunning, as always, but the one that I really prefer is the Eastern Bluebird. Georgeous bird and I love the compostion, beautiful!
Thanks for sharing all these and have a great weekend!
Louise :)

Cynthia White said...

A wonderful array of beautiful birds,so lucky to view your incredible talent:)

Mia McPherson said...

All if the images are beautiful but that Le Conte's takes my breath away, what a gorgeous bird!

Jim Braswell said...

Stunning images, as always, Julie! Great work :o)

Unknown said...

All of them are beauties but I especially love the Le Conte's sparrow!! Your work is always fantastic!

Ruby said...

Beautiful shots Julie!!!

Debbie Miller @HooootOwl said...

What a spring you've had so far! Beautiful sightings and views. I really enjoyed the Leconte's and Fox sparrows! Happy Spring Julie :)

Unknown said...

Nice series again Julie these are great.

Larry Ostby said...

What a fabulous potpourri of birds. Congrats on the Le Conte's Sparrow. What a terrific find, you displayed it beautifully. As always your photos are of the utmost quality. It is always a pleasure to view your posts. For me it's inspirational. Thank you.

Gordon said...

Georgous set of photos and I have to agree with many of the others; the photo of the Le Conte's sparrow is stunning. never senn one either. Congrats on the new life bird!

Lorents H Blomseth said...

Wonderful pics you have made here. I like the first one very much. Well done again !

Lorents H Blomseth said...

Wonderful pics you have made here. I like the first one very much. Well done again !

ShySongbird said...

What a wonderful variety of birds Julie. Your photos are really beautiful! I think my favourites are the Northern Cardinal and the Eastern Bluebird but it is so difficult to decide between them :-)

Many congratulations on the Le Conte's Sparrow, such a thrill to get a 'lifer'!

Guy said...

Hi Julie

What wonderful photos I really enjoyed the Le Conte's Sparrow and the Bluebird. Happy Spring.

Regards
Guy

Subra said...

Le Conte's sparrow is an absolute gem!

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Giancarlo said...

Entrare nel tuo blog è fantastico, fotografie bellissime!! felice giornata a Te...ciao

Chris said...

Another beautiful post! The northern flicker and the wood duck are sumptuous. Beautiful collection of pictures Julie!

Peaches Ledwidge said...

You're truly a great photographer.

KaHolly said...

Outstanding series of photos, Julie. I esp. like the shot of the LeConte's Sparrow. I've been laying low these past few weeks as I've returned to Cape Breton and it is still darned cold here.

eileeninmd said...

Julie, awesome series of birds and your photos are gorgeous. Congrats on your LeConte lifer. It is a beautiful bird. Have a great weekend!

Laura Delegal - Leroy Photography said...

Oh, wow, those are just beautifully fantastic captures ... each one. Have a great weekend.

Patricia/Trisketta said...

Julie: I've just spent an enchanting time looking through your recent postings. I've been "away" from photography since last December and it is so wonderful to be back. Your images are stunning, as always. Looking forward to your next post!

Kathie Brown said...

All these photos are good but that Le Conte's is AMAZING!

Debbie said...

you leave the most thoughtful comments on my blog. i would like to reply to them via email but you don't have that feature. thank you always for those sweet comments. i am always happy when i see you have stopped by!!

snapZz said...

perfect shots

RVDaalen said...

Amazing birdpics with wonderful colors.


best regards,

Remco

Chris said...

Hi Julie, we love you photos. We are bird book publishers and want to talk w/you. Please call us at: 360-943-8600 Bob or Chris Morse, Olympia, WA.

John's Island said...

Hi Julie, Your pictures are, as always, so wonderful. The thing that really jumped out at me in this post, “Pretty Spring Birds”, is the COLOR. Somehow, you have managed to capture the subtle shades of beauty in these birds. It’s such a pleasure to take some time and view each photo slowly. There is so much detail to enjoy! You’re really a wonderful photographer and, sincerely, an inspiration. And one more thing … you absolutely write the most wonderful comments. Thank you so much for those kind words you recently left on John’s Island. Again, it is a pleasure to follow your blog and enjoy your photography! John

forgetmenot said...

Once again I am astounded by the variety of birds that you capture with your camera. What magical power do you have that makes them come and "pose" for you!!! Excellent photos and always a treat to view your lovely work. Hope you have a tremendous weekend. Mickie :)

ZielonaMila said...

Fine taking, fantastic birds. I am greeting

stardust said...

Your photography is stunning, Julie. Always pleased to come by and sigh in contentment. The second and the fourth bird are my favorites among all the pretty ones.

Yoko

Manuel Luis said...

Lindos motivos de um santuário que sabes fotografar e preservar.
Bj

Edwin Sahlin said...

Many great photos of this fantastic birds!
//Edwin

Weekend Cowgirl said...

Absolutely amazing photos!!! Very much enjoy your bird photos...

Fabrizia Spinelli said...

Great post: I like these pictures about amazing birds so much!!
What about following each other? Cosa mi metto???
Win a wonderful long dress from Shabby Apple

Ronnie said...

Lovely birdpictures !!

Anonymous said...

Wow! Browsing through these photos just a puts on my smile on my face! I admire how you beautifully you capture nature! You are amazing at what you do! I'm speechless <3

The Style Moodboard

cindyzlogic said...

super wonderful photography, Julie!! I especially liked the Bluebird! Congratulations on having a Bluebird family in your nestbox and for the lifer bird :-))

Blu-I'd-Blonde said...

Your photography is perfect and stunning. We have most of these birds in Kansas, but I could never capture them on my camera like you do. Thank you bunches for sharing them.

Ben said...

Hi Julie,
Amazing birdpics, woderful collars and sharpnes. COMPLIMENTS!!!

Greetz,
Ben

Anonymous said...

Splendid as usual - all of them are just stunning beautiful.

Ronnie said...

Really beautyful birdpictures !!!

forgetmenot said...

Julie, thanks for your nice comments. It's a treat to scroll through your post again and again. Your photos are just exquisite. Have a lovely weekend. Mickie ;)

Judy Royal Glenn said...

Great shots...my favorite of which is the Chic a dee:)

Irma said...

Beautiful pictures of gorgeous birds.
Greetings Irma
http://www.digi-irma.nl

Helma said...

Hi Julie,

Also this blog is so beautiful. The colors of the birds, the sharpness and detail are perfectly. You're a very good photographer Julie.

My compliments. Greetings, Helma

Jack McCarron said...

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I'm a new blogger on the broader subject of the striking beauty of nature, birds, animals, hiking, trails, edible plants, and bushcraft.

I would very much like to trade blog links with you to help us both get more internet traffic. If you'll add my site, TheNatureOfHiking.com to your Blog List, I'll add you to my "Beautiful Nature Photography" list.

Please let me know at saddlebums@aol.com

Thanks much,
Jack McCarron
TheNatureOfHiking.com