Tuesday 6 April 2021

Birds at the feeders

Sometimes I'm surprised at number of the birds that visit my feeders. Many are from the Tit family, but once in a while a Tree Creeper will come, the Jays are never away, the Robins and the Black birds are regular visitors, but this year a Firecrest came several time, and I'm only mentioning the birds that come to eat my wall-nut cake, not seeds or nuts. Here are a few images, taken recently on my bedroom balcony and in the garden.



The Coal Tit eats seeds as well as cake, but on the whole I think it eats more cake than seeds. It's looking upwards because there is another feeder higher up, with a Great Tit.


A Coal Tit with a Sunflower seed in it's mouth, These birds eat peanuts, seeds, and cake.



The Robin only comes for the wall nut cake. Most Robins eat from the ground, These have no problem eating from the wooden box, although there's not much left in this one. I only fill them in the morning. For the rest of the day, the birds have to find their own food. I will refill them in the morning if the Squirrel comes first, and eats everything.


      

The Great Tit, is the bird that comes most often to eat both peanuts and cake. it  rarely eat the seeds.


The Firecrest, was so difficult to photograph, It seemed to hover over the box, It didn't linger, and only came at certain times of the day, when there were no other birds around. It was just lucky that I was looking outside the window, when it came. I fell instantly in love with this delicate petite beauty, and was on constant alert afterwards.

                      .


This Blue Tit is unusual, as it has a patch of yellow feathers on the head, above the beak. I have never seen this on any Blue Tit before. It looks very pretty.  Has anyone seen this before?


Usually the Blue Tit looks like this, a pretty bird, without the addition of the yellow patch. Whenever another bird is at the feeder overhead, they are either curious or uneasy. 



The Robin is a welcome sight, any time. It must already have chicks, as it has been taking more cake than usual, returning again and again,  and leaving with a full beak.



Knowing that the Firecrest came late in the afternoon, when most of the cake had been eaten, I started to put a little more so that if it did come, it would have something to eat. I waited each day, and most times it never appeared, or had already been. I was determined to see it again, so repeatedly filled the feeder and waited until on two consecutive days it came, and I was rewarded with a few successful captures.


Another Coal Tit. They are a little braver than the other Tits, and less likely to fly away if they see me, and one has even eaten from my hand. A wonderful experience.



At last it came back, my hand was shaking, this was the moment I had been waiting for.



   With a piece of Wall-nut in it's beak, it flew away immediately, but I got it on camera.       



Sometimes you are so used to seeing things like watering cans and hose pipes, that you don't notice they are there when you take a photo. Like this old hose pipe. It would have been a better shot without it, but I'm happy it was in focus.



I see the Jays every day, either in the garden or on my balcony. They are extremely shy birds. and are easily spooked by the slightest movement. I take great care not to be seen.




This shot makes me smile. The Black cap is all eyes. It looks like a young male bird.



29 comments:

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I absolutely love this post ..wonderful birds, beautiful pictures (that feeder up above the other one gives you some wonderful and unusual angles as they look upwards. I especially enjoy reading about the planning, patience, and dedication you put into taking such good care of the birds as well as into getting these perfect shots. Thank you for that and for sharing the results.

Mike Attwood said...

Thats a wonderful post Sonjia. Such a variety of birds and good photo's. I wish I had that many visiting my garden. Take care and stay safe.
Mike.

Lowcarb team member said...

Like Sallie I too absolutely love this post :)
Your photographs are all amazing.
So many lovely birds, I think the robin is my favourite I've always liked this bird.

Wishing you a good week ahead.

All the best Jan

LEN said...

Another amazing post. I know you spend hours waiting for the right moment. I hope the warmer weather is easing your pain.

Marit said...

I enjoy all of your beautiful photos. I'm so surprised that you have the same birds as I have in my garden. I love your photos of the robin. I see them here all year round. I feed the birds every day too. The squirrels are very greedy, but they need food too :)

Stewart M said...

I would have got very excited if I had had Crested Tits at a feeder when I lived in the UK. Truth be told I have never seen one!

Great set of pictures.

Cheers - Stewart M

PS: I linked up for you!

David M. Gascoigne, said...

You have an amazing and varied cast of birds coming to your feeders, Sonjia. I am quite surprised to see a Goldcrest showing up. The equivalent species here is Golden-crowned Kinglet and I have never heard of one coming to a feeder. You will have to publish your walnut cake recipe so that we can all give it a try, although I suspect that in my backyard the squirrels would demolish it before the birds had much chance at it! Have a great day! David

Debbie said...

your bird images have been stunning, really exceptional!! your jays are different than ours, and the last thing our jays are is shy. they are quite boisterous!!!

Maria said...

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MadSnapper said...

all of these shots make me smile, not just the one you mentioned it in. these birds are so cute and sweet, Adorable is the word. you may not have the house of 7 cards, but you have the houses of MANY different birds to watch. i would have loved to see the tit take food from your hand... that had to be wonderful. the one with the garden hose is my favorite photo. the great tit is beautiful... the side eyed black cap is funny, like he SEES you

This N That said...

Great pictures..wonderful series of birdies..most of which are new to me..Enjoy your day..

sami niilola said...

Lovely little birds. Especially Robin. One of my favorites.

Nancy Chan said...

They are all beautiful birds which I would like to see in my garden too. Have a great day.

Lea said...

Beautiful birds, and your photos are great!

Teresa said...

Las fotografías te han quedado muy lindas, no es de extrañar por que los pájaros son preciosos. . Besos.

Jeevan said...

Absolutely a series of cute little birds, and I could see a curious bird watcher in you the way you long for unusual birds, just like the goldcrest. And the tits are cuter the way they look up, and the black cap is funny at expression. Hope you enjoying the spring

Take care

hmuxo said...

Amazing photos!!!!!!

Rhodesia said...

Thanks for the visit and the comment it is much appreciated. You have a far bigger collection of interesting birds than what we have in our corner of France, great photos. Keep well Diane

Ana Mínguez Corella said...

Beautiful birds... Specially the little gold crest... Happy weekend

eileeninmd said...

Hello,

I really enjoyed seeing all your beautiful garden birds. You do see a lovely variety, the Gold Crest is beautiful and I like all your birds and photos. Thank you so much for linking up and sharing your birds and post. Take care, stay well! I wish you a happy day and a great new week! PS, I always appreciate your visits and comments.

Shiju Sugunan said...

I like the variety of birds you got. All are beautiful!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

You really do have some colorful birds coming to your feeders! And it's not easy to get such great photos while they are eating. Very nice! And thanks to for the fun comment today! Hugs!

orchid0324 said...

hello; Wow gorgeous your birdies are V(*^.^*)V I wish I could see these beauties p;-)
So sorry for my absence for your blog. Wishing you are having wonderful stat of new week.
Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan, xoxo Miyako*

Phil Slade said...

Hi Sonia. You have some great birds visit your feeders. I absolutely love walnut cake, so hard to find here in the UK but a must have in Greece when we visit. No one has commented, that is a Firecrest, not Goldcrest. See the strong white eyestrip and more lime green colouration.

carol l mckenna said...

Magnificent photography of our feathered friends! Gorgeous Xo

Living moment by moment,

A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor

Rain said...

I know how you feel, I have been noticing new birds at the feeder and there are SO many! Great photos! :)

David M. Gascoigne, said...

I was looking at this post again! Sonjia, and I am pretty sure that the bird is a Firecrest not a Goldcrest. It should have hit me sooner since I have looked for Firecrest in Europe on several occasions and have never been able to find one!

Helma said...

Great to see so many beautiful birds. The jay is beautiful and you also had a golden shark in the garden. Great to spot these beautiful birds and even better to be able to photograph them :-)
The tits, especially the crested tit, are also great.
Greetings, Helma

Breathtaking said...

Many thanks Phil Slade for correcting me. It was not a Goldcrest after all but a Firecrest. I have not been able to thank you untill now.

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