Backyard Birds 2024
11 February 2024 — A flock of grackles visits
Before the flock arrives, winter visitors look for food. These are juncos.
Robin picks up a holly berry and BLIP it’s gone.
Fresh water, so a male house sparrow has a very long bath.
Black oil sunflower seeds in the platform feeders. Perfect for house sparrows, mourning doves, house finches and cardinals.
A starling ‘scout’ checks out the backyard. All the seeds have shells. No other starlings show up.
Female downy woodpecker
Male downy woodpecker (red patch on back of head)
White-throated sparrow, a winter visitor
Blue jay — with a lot of birds visiting, it doesn’t take long for all the black oil sunflower seeds to disappear.
Still a few left.
Ever alert for hawks.
So fast, very hard to photograph — a red-bellied woodpecker grabs a peanut and files off.
A grackle ‘scout’ checks out the backyard. Fresh water, check.
A feeder filled with peanuts, check.
Everyone, let's feast.
Can a blue jay grab one?
Nope.
The next day another ‘scout’ arrived, but there was no food put out, so the flock did not visit.