These are all birds I saw this week on and from my balcony. It has been so bitterly cold made worse by the icy cold wind, and we have grey skies in the morning, but the sun does come out in the afternoon, making it look warmer than it actually is. I have taken a turn around the garden however to see how my plants are doing, without seeing one bird, but I did see a few bees, and the occasional white butterfly. Keeping warm, whilst viewing my balcony birds is the better option until the warmer weather arrives.
The Greenfinch have arrived, and they give me many photo opportunities.
They always look so grumpy, and they chase other Greenfinch away from the sunflower containers. Other species share the food quite socially with the same, or other species of bird, but the unsociable Greenfinch is greedy, and fights often take place between them.
The Coal-tit is the most confiding of the Tit family. When I fill the feeders it will sometimes perch near my shoulder less than a foot away.
You will notice that many of my photos were taken in the shade.
The male Blackcap doesn't pause in the tree, nor does he fly over to my balcony. He has discovered a way of reaching the feeder by squeezing through a gap between the wall and the railing in a dark corner of my balcony near the little wooden box which is the only feeder he will eat out of, although there are six containers in all.
Almost the same pose as above, but taken on a different day, with different light.
That's a very large piece of cake he is taking.
The Robin visits dozens of times a day.
Always the first to arrive, I hear it's song long before I open the shutters, and I am serenaded by the robin in the evening.
My balcony is in deep shade until 1.30, but I start feeding the birds early, so the birds arrive when I have finished, but the Robin sometimes perches nearby. These images are the result of my early morning captures.
The first flower appeared on my Paraguay Nightshade on my balcony.
Scientific name is Lycianthrs Rantonnetii.
The Blackbird has been visiting lately, but stays in the tree first...
before he flies over to the balcony.
The female Chaffinch is very shy, and only visits occasionally.
The Euration Jay also perches in the same tree before doing it's fly by
I capture quite a few images in this way.
32 comments:
You have an amazing array of friends to keep you company in the cold weather, Sonjia. Cold weather is not something I associate with Portugal and I suspect that we hardy, robust, steadfast, resolute Canadians would hardly consider it cold! Any time now, actually, a major storm is predicted to descend on us, dumping about 30 cm of snow. And we are heading north in the morning, so I had better get out a couple of times tonight and shovel my driveway clean. Once we get north of Toronto a little way the conditions shouldn't be too bad, but getting that far may be another issue entirely. So there, you don't have that to contend with. I suggest you get a glass of port, put on a warm jacket and enjoy the birds. Maybe the Greenfinches won't be quite so grumpy! Big hugs - David
My Dear Sonjia,
My crimson camelia is blossoming too despite the cold.I have replenished my bird feeders and even put out a bowl of rice in a prominent position, but still very few birds. Have they all caught flu, I wonder?i
Bellos pájaros, me gustaron mucho Te mando un beso.
Bellos pájaros. Te mando un beso.
So many birds make such a beautiful view on your balcony. I'm in awe of all the species so different from ours. Sometimes winter seems hard to bear. Today with our extremely wild winds uprooting trees and downing power lines, and a cold front following; we always fear the electricity will go out, and the house will turn into a refrigertor. One of the perks of winter :( I enjoy all your photos and also the flowers. My early spring flowers are gradually waking up. Wishing you a lovely weekend to enjoy the view of your birds more.
Lovely collection of birds...great clicks
What a great series of photos of the different birds, I have not seen the greenfinch here yet and you have so many together.
The camellia doesn't bloom here either, the daffodils do.
Here the weather is a bit colder with snow showers, this week it was so wonderful with the sun and also wonderful temperatures, it takes some getting used to now.
I wish you a very nice weekend.
Greetings Irma
Green finch, blue tit and robins look so cute and petite! Thanks for sharing these wonderful pics
Delightful photos of these sweet little birds. Thank you for sharing them, I enjoyed them very much.
Hello dear Sonjia,
I love to see all the beautiful flowers and birds in your garden. The penultimate picture of the Camellia is so pretty. I guess you do not have the variety name on the flower?
I am so surprised to see the greenfinch at your place too. It has also been here for a month now. I have exactly the same birds here too. Yesterday I saw the first blackbird here. It will be very cold here for a week ahead, but hope it gets warmer afterwards.
Warm hugs to you my friend!
If I had all of these beautiful adorable sweet little birds outside my window or my balcony I would have to invest in another camera. My camera with a long lens died and I never replaced it because I didn’t use it that much but I would be snapping birds like crazy if they were outside like this. Even the black bird is just beautiful! And a little Robin is just so cute I wanted to hold him in my hand and my favorite is the little yellow bird I forgotten the name right now. But I do love all of your sweet little birds
...Sonjia, this is such a wonderful post, you have some many feathered friends that visit. Camellia aren't quite hardy enough for our area, but I planted a hardy one several years ago in a sheltered spot and it did well and flowered for several years. Last year it froze to the ground, but sent up new growth. I wonder how it will do this year with our mild winter. Take care and stay well.
The Robin is so gorgeous and you've seen lots of pretty birds this week. It's fun when a flock comes to visit! I'm sure none of them are grumpy with good seeds to eat!
You're right -- those greenfinches DO look a little grumpy! But oh, they are beautiful as are all the birds here. Lovely photography!
Dear Sonija, how nice that you receive so many winged visitors on your balcony! Apart from the great tit and the blackbird, I either don't see any of these birds at all or very rarely. A few days ago I caught a glimpse of a robin, but it was gone quickly. I don't even know what a robin's song sounds like! Greenfinches really do look grumpy and scaring away fellows doesn't make them very likable either, but that seems to be the species' concept of survival. (There are also people who live according to this concept, unfortunately... I can be less angry with a bird for that ;-)
Now I wish you (and me ;-)) that the weather will soon be more pleasant :-)
All the best, have a wonderful weekend & happy March days!
❤️ Traude❤️
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2023/03/streifzug-durch-die-letzten-wochen.html
So beautiful birds. And of course my favourite,Robin. Have a nice evening.
These are beautiful photos of charming birds, Sonjia, and it is good to know that you are able to enjoy your avian friends from the comfort of your home when the weather is cold. I continue to be envious of your Firecrest. Your Camellias are spectacular too!
We have snow forecast for next week!
My very best wishes - - - Richard
You get a lot of nice visitors on your deck. All the birds are poking around in the deep snow we got last night.
wow! Your balcony views are excellent! Beautiful birds and flowers. Great captures of every bird in these photos.
Thanks for the share. Have a great weekend!
Hello Dear Sonija, I just scrolled through your photos and, yes, they spark joy! 😊 I love the wonderful photos you get right from your balcony. Sonija, when I click on your images and see the larger view here on my monitor it is stunning how wonderful and sharp they are. Yes, I love your photography! The close-ups of the little birds … I can sense a feeling from them … like they are sending me a message through those tiny little eyes. Is it my imagination or can they really alter their countenance? 😊 I am so glad I do not have to select a favorite … that would be impossible. Thank you so much for sharing the views from your balcony. And thank you for your kind words on my blog. Bless your heart and take good care my friend! John
Lovely shots of birds and blooms!
Me encanta ver tantos pájaros, tienes mucha suerte de verlos desde tu balcón. Tu jardín es muy hermoso. Un abrazo y feliz domingo.
My Dear Sonjia,
I felt I must add another comment. The forecast here is for a colder spell which is a further indication of climate change. Here we are at the beginning of March with Spring fast approaching and it is still very cold which does not encourage me to do any gardening.There are so few birds about.Do they know something we humans do not understand about changes in climate? I see the occasional starling,blackbird and blue tit plus doves and wood pigeons but that is all.You are so very lucky to be able to capture such a great variety of bird life. I am looking forward to my trip to the Algarve when i will hope to see storks and hoopoos/ Many best wishes to you and yours.
Wow. You see all these from your balcony!?!! How lucky you are. And beautiful flowers too.
Have a super week ahead and your linking in is always appreciated!
You have some beautiful birds that come visiting.
I especially like the robin.
Lovely to see your flowers too.
Our Camellia has flowered, I really should take some photographs.
All the best Jan
Hello Sonjia. It is interesting that Greenfinches are only now returning to your garden feeders, as if they are partial migrants that have been elsewhere? I agree they can be quarrelsome but it’s good that their numbers have increased a little here in the UK after their plummeting numbers of years ago. It is said their fall from grace was caused by their monopolising bird feeders and then spreading disease through poor hygiene practice around feeding stations.
I read about the cold weather in Iberia and North Africa but of course poor old Portugal never gets a mention in our newspapers or TV programmes. All the better for you of course!
This week we are to have snow in Scotland and the East of England, hopefully not here in more maritime Lancashire. Hope it warms up for you – and us.
Nature appears to be blessing you with a plethora of birds visiting your balcony and flowers blooming in your garden. Fantastic shots of finches, tits, and robins, and the camellia reminds me of a rose tree I saw in a hill station here. I love daffodils; have a pleasant week
A lovely collection of beautiful birds. The Greenfinch did look grumpy in the first two photos, I had to laugh. :)
Enjoy your week.
Lovely post as usual Sonjia, I am finally getting back on my feet. Regards, Mike.
Your balcony birds are so interesting and varied! I am very fond of European robins with their beautiful coloring. It’s hard to see how the early settlers decided to use the same name for the American Robin that’s so different in size and color.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Hola Sonia. Precioso pots. Tu jardín es maravilloso y las aves lo saben y por eso hacen de él su hogar. Las fotos preciosas. Besos
Hello Sonjia,
What a lovely variety of garden birds. I would enjoy sitting on your balcony watching these beautiful birds. They would be new to me, the Greenfinch is a cutie, but I love them all. Wonderful photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend. PS, I am sorry to be late commenting, thank you of leaving me a comment.
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