Guess who is back??? Mr. and Mrs. Pileated Woodpecker

Today we had they pleasure of seeing the Pileated Woodpecker again! I have been patiently awaiting his return. Not only did he return, but he brought his mate with him. Yes, you heard me right I had our Male Pileated and Female Pileated together today!!! I can not tell you how thrilled Kelly and I were. They visited a dead tree in our back yard for a little date time snacking, lol. 

I can not even begin to tell you how amazing this is. This picture was taken from the deck door in my Master Bedroom. Kelly and I set up a chair and Scope and enjoyed them mostly all day. We just couldn't stop watching. It's super rare to catch one of these birds in the wild, let alone a pair like this.

Definitely the blurriest pictures I have ever taken, but I still enjoy the thrill of trying to capture the.

After they left and went into our woods to check out what they were 'snacking', and this is a close up of the tree where they spent most of the day. I was almost thinking they were trying to nest at one pint. How incredible would that have been. I could;t be that lucky, could I?

This day was definitely for the record books. I don't think I will ever catch the chance of seeing the two of them together like this again. It's good to know there is a couple here, and that they will be mating in my backyard sometime in the future, so cool! 

Eggs, but not the good kind

Today Kelly discovered that the Blue Bird House has eggs in it. As exciting as that may seen, it also seems they are from a House Sparrow, which is not so exciting. That is most definitely not a positive thing to have nesting in your yard. I set up some fishing line on the outside of the bird house to discourage the house sparrows from building a nest there, but it has seemed to fail.  This Spring I am going to have to come up with some better Anti Sparrow techniques. I still took pictures of the nest and eggs and wanted to document it here.  I'm pretty sure it looks like a House Sparrows nest do to the MESSY contents of different materials used to construct the nest, but I am ot sure 100% though, what I do know is that it's not a Blue Bird nest, that is all I am sure of.

Not sure what to o in this case. As much as I do not want those things reproducing in my yard, I also don't want to kill eggs. It's a touchy thing. The box is now cleaned out and I hope not to have to deal with this again. 

Goldfinch Sock

Today is short but sweet . I wanted to show this picture of the the beautiful bright yellow mostly male Goldfinch that visited the yard today.  Kelly wanted to try this sock feeder out, and so far they seem to love it. This picture is a bit on the blurry side, but that is the joys of photography. I also take a lot of these out of a glass window, and in this shot it shows. Practice Practice!!

BlueJays, Good or Bad?

Now there is a GIANT debate online about Blue Jays. Some people love them and feed them, and other people despise them in their yards. I'm torn myself. I think they are super beautiful, but they really munch down the suet. It can get expensive keeping up with their giant peanut- suet loving appetites. I also think they bully my cats, lol. They squawk bloody murder when they see my cats (which is a normal warning call they emit for possible predators), but it scares my cats to death.  Salem freaks out when she sees them out the window, and I'm sure she would gobble one up whole if she was capable of catching it. 

This picture came out really nice so I wanted to share it. This Blue Jay scarfed down half this suet cake, lol. The picture is a tad bit grainy, but cool how it shows him in action with a mouth full. 

Dark Eyed Junco and a Titmouse *giggles*

Nothing spectacular here today, just a quick post showing off a new bird siting or 2. First up we have a Dark Eyed Junco. I knew I would not see one of these till winter, But The Dark Eyed Junco's have finally arrived. Pretty neat little birds they are. I fear for his a life little though since he is a ground dweller, I wonder what my cats will make of him. Can you say, CRAPPY PICTURE? Yup yup, the photography gods were definitely not shining on me today. You win some and you lose some.

Next we have a Titmouse. As immature as this sounds, the name still makes me giggle like a school girl, *giggles*.  The photography gods decided to show up some here, they felt so terrible about the Junco Picture they wanted to make up for it with this lovely Titmouse, *giggles*.

Chipping Sparrow

Today is a really quick post with just one picture of a Chipping Sparrow. This little guy is super cute. To me he looks like he has on a stripped racing helmet. very different, and I was able to spot him out very quickly amongst the other sparrows. Glad he came for a visit today. 

So Proud of This Moment In Time...Suet Balls

Anything is possible, lol. I wanted to include this here because I am super proud of it and it is part of my bird feeding. I created my own suet balls and was thrilled at the outcome. They came out pretty spectacular. Check them out...

Now that they are made, the key is DO THEY WORK? They can look fabulous, but if the birds don't eat them then you can consider them failed. The whole point is that they need to attract birds, right? So I placed them out with pretty low expectations. I was even okay if they attracted house sparrows, lol. ANYTHING, to validate that my suet balls would be irresistible to the birds. Here is what proceeded to happen..

Not only did I get a bird, I got an BALTIMORE ORIOLE!!! Now the lighting on these pictures isn't as great as the original shot, but how lovely! I had only seen one in my yard prior, and was really hoping to see more. It seemed very attracted to this new food I put out. HOW THRILLING!!! The suet balls were gobbled up! 

I used a recipe from this amazing book right here. My husband actually sniffed this out in a book store when we were at our yearly lake vacation. I LOVE THIS BOOK. I highly recommend it and if you see it grab it. If you are not able to find it in your local book store, it's available on Amazon.com

Another day in the life of bird lover. 

Moo??? Who's Baby is this?? THE COW BIRD

First time spotting one of these today, a Cow Bird. I read all about these bird, and I was really hoping I would get to see one, I did today. First impressions was this thing is BIG!!!! I can't believe it goes depositing it's babies in other peoples nest for them to raise. What a LAZY bird, lol. If you have not had the pleasure to read up on this bird, I would highly recommend it. It's so really different from any other bird out there. It's pretty FUGLY too :)  

Another I Told You So, Introducing Mr. Oriole

This is one of my favorite posts because I can say, 'I TOLD YOU SO', to Kelly yet again. I told him I wanted to try and lure in a Baltimore Oriole, and he basically outright laughed at me, lol. He should know better, especially after the Pileated Woodpecker and The Blue Bird, does;t he realize I posses magic Bird skills. He said he had grown up in these parts and never seen one. My Bird Book clearly stated that they were in this area during Migration in the Spring. He looked at me as if I was crazy, will the man every learn??? So I proceeded to read up on the best things to feed them, and the best ways to get them in your yard. This is the feeding station I came up with. I call this the crazy bird lady contraption, hahaha. We got Oriole Nectar, Oranges and Grape Jelly. How could any passing Oriole resist this?

WELL THEY COULDN'T - check this out!!! Hello Mr. Oriole. I seriously did not believe it myself. Maybe I am the Bird Whisperer after all.  I think I took a 100 pictures I was that excited! I was at my kitchen window and trying really hard not to spoof him. I needed pictures for PROOF OF LIFE for Kelly, lol. 

He seemed to really love the jelly the most. Unfortunately jelly = ants, so it's something that really has to be monitored. Jelly also = bees which I'm allergic to, so caution has to be taken when feeding jelly.  Look at his beak coated with the jelly, oh so awesome. 

He took a break to the trees for a bit...

I went out and rearranged the crazy contraption, and decided to spear the orange on the top of the Shepard's Hook instead. He seemed intimated by the original orange feeder.  He came back down several hours later and seemed very pleased by the upgrades.  The sun also came out and my pictures improved ten fold. These are my favorite ever bird pictures. This is one of my most treasured times in all of my bird hunting time so far. I could not be more pleased with the crazy lady Oriole Attracting Contraption I created, HAHAHA :) 

The best part of this all was texting some of these pictures to Kelly at work and saying, 'I TOLD YOU SO' to him yet again. I think he was more surprised than me to see that I actually pulled off luring one into the yard. I think he is getting tired of me saying I told you so. The man needs to not question my awesome bird skills anymore and I believe after this he has stop questioning the magic, lol. I give new meaning to the words beginners luck. 

The Cardinal, The Squirrel and The Grackle - Oh My!

Do you know when you take a picture of something, and totally love it, well that happened to me today a few times today. Check out this gorgeous pictures of a male Cardinal that came for a visit today. The word stunning would be an understatement.  I love the black mask he has on his face, it makes him look like a super hero.

Then this fuzzy cutie showed up. I love this picture so much. The detail I captured is so amazing in this fox squirrel (I think that is what he is). I'm loving my new camera. I love how he seems to be creeping along, probably planning to rob one of my bird feeders, lol. Our yard is filled with these, so I'm going to have to come up with some good anti squirrel bird feeding techniques.

Finally I had a VERY unwelcome visitor today as my last guest. This here is a Grackle, and I hope to see as few of these as possible. The shame is I actual think these birds are gorgeous looking. They have an iridescent blue sheen on them that lights up in the sunlight and it makes them look very sleek. Unfortunately, they will gobble up your seed in a matter of a few minutes. I allowed this one to pose for a picture and then I promptly shoed him away, lol. Yes I was the crazy lady running across her lawn and up to her bird feeder screaming, 'Get Away Get Away!!!!'. 

That's a wrap for today. See yogis again soon! 

I Told You So (AGAIN) - Blue Bird

One of the main birds I have been trying to attract to this yard is a Blue Bird. According to my Bird Books they are in this area in abundance. I know a lot of time they are attracted to worm feeding, but I can not bring myself to do it.  Since I do not worm feed, I figured my chances for spotting one would be extremely low. I asked Kelly about them and he said he had never seen one in our yard before. I was not to hopeful, but I set out to work my Bird Magic and see if I could lure one in. After the Pileated Woodpecker sighing, I figured anything was possible, lol.

WELCOME MR. BLUEBIRD (OR MRS.) 

This is the coolest of all things. It traveled quickly through the yard, but I knew I had to grab a picture or Kelly may not believe that I actually saw one here. When I sent him the picture he was totally shocked :) Just call me the Queen of luring in birds, lol. Oh wait, I TOLD YOU SO YET AGAIN!

The White Breasted Nuthatch

I have a cute little White Breasted Nuthatch that has been visiting here a lot. The recent intense heat is keeping all of my birds well hidden. We are in the midst of a severe heat wave here in the Midwest! My birds really are not liking it at all, and neither am I. They are eating less and less at my feeders and are in hiding (the shaded trees). My food has been untouched.

The picture quality on these are not that fabulous as is usual these days, lol. I'm still working with my camera to get things right. I figured taking bird picture would be easy...point, auto focus, and shoot. I'm now realizing there is much more to it than that :) 

O_M_G - The Pileated Woodpecker

This is probably the most exciting post I am going to put here. Since I started birding all I hear about is the elusive Pileated Woodpecker and how many birders go a lifetime without seeing one.  My handy dandy Bird Book told me they were here, so of course I had the instant need to see one. I talked to Kelly about it and he basically had a deep belly roll laugh at my expense. He said that there was no way possible for me to see one here in my yard. He went his whole life never seeing one, and I would just have to settle for pictures in a book. HMMMMM...That just made me want to lure one in even more. 

Well, on this day I was happily in my room doing nothing special when I heard Kelly shout to me to come fast and to grab my camera. I did as I was told. He was at our back garage door and with a shocked faced he said, omg you are not going to believe this, look outside the window. I did and what did I see looking at me.... O_M_G!!!! I was so excited my big ole thumb got in the picture, but you can clearly see him. It was a male Pileated Woodpecker, SHUT THE FRONT DOOR, lol. This was beyond crazy. I can not even put into words the excitement I felt. Kelly was pretty dumbfounded and so was I. The pictures are total yuck, BUT WHO CARES. I have picture proof of my sighting and that is so cool. The story wouldn't be half has great if I didn't have a picture to back it up. He kept peaking up and down at us from behind our retaining wall. 

He than flew off and headed for a dead tree stump we have in the yard to get himself a little snack. Oh how wonderful this guy was to see. He was ENORMOUS, almost a bit scary at first. He definitely makes a statement when he's present. I wonder if this was a freak visit or if he will return. I willed him into my yard, which is a bit crazy. even my husband was puzzled that as soon as I started asking for one, he appeared. Maybe I'm secretly the Bird Whisperer?  I have read that once a pileated settles into a location they are usually there for life, I could only be so lucky.

Red Bellied Woodpecker

Yes Yes Yes, it finally happened and this big fellow showed up in the yard today! He is my very first Red Bellied Woodpecker. I'm hoping he is one of many that decide to frequent this year, he didn't hit the feeders, but he is sniffing around on the ground which is a good sign. He is a lot bigger than I expected him to be, and it was really a thrill to see him. I knew what he looked like from my birding books so I was hoping to spot one.  Now lets hope he brings his friends for a free buffet. I have a variety of things out that he should really take quickly too.  As you can see from this picture we seriously need to cute the grass HAHA :) 

Downy Woodpecker

Today I got visited by a female Downy Woodpecker. How exciting!!! My first Woodpecker for this yard. She apparently liked my orange flavored Oriole suet, lol. I'll have to buy more now that I know that she likes it. 

I was so excited when I saw her. I'm new at taking bird pictures - my hands were shaking from the excitement lol. I also have no idea how to work my fancy camera yet either. More learning to do here.

When she took flight I tried real hard to capture it.  I didn't have my camera set to the right f/Stop, but it still came out cool.

My first 'real' bird sighting. It was a great day!

Birds Chronicles for Today

As I mentioned this is the second post for today.  It was a super busy day with a coyote, flowers and birds. Yes I said Coyotoe so stay tuned for that coming up in the next post. This is the bird portion so let's hop to it, or is that let's Chirp to it? I have really started LOVING birding so I decide to load up the yard with some fun foods to see what I can attract. I did a ton of research so that I was at least close to putting out the right foods. Similar to everything else in this yard this is all an experimentation and a learning experience. It takes years sometimes to set up strong stable habitats in your yard, so I figure it will take me a while before I find a winning combination for feeding the birds here. You have to start somewhere.

I added so many bird feeders the last few weeks, I kinds of lost track, lol. I have a feeder for each of the birds I am trying to attract. Here is a bare bones list of what I am hoping to see:

1. Any type of Woodpecker
2. Oriole
3. Hummingbird
4. Cardinal
5. Goldfinch

Below is a window. It looked like a good idea, and I figured my cats would love the close up view, but it didn't hold well to the glass. The suction cups could only do so much before they let go. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. I also see I need to clean my windows HAHAHA.

The day started rainy and dingy. The pictures have a little too much contrast for my taste today. I don;t mess with editing them, too much work! The sun finally breaks out in the afternoon, and the picture quality improves tremendously.

I did have one cute little visitor today, but it was a butterfly. He was not quite a bird, but he will do for now. As for the birds, the buffet is now open. Please line up single file and PLEASE no pushing. Everyone will get a plate :)

Hummingbird Feeders

Today I added Humming Bird feeders to the new window garden area. This blog IS called BIRDEES and BLOOMS, so it's reasonable to say I need to start posting some bird stuff. Let's try and gets some birds in this yard. I figured Hummingbirds would be fairly easy to pull in, and my research says this area is loaded with them. I never seen one in my area of NY, so I'm quite excited at the possibility of seeing them here. Now that I have these awesome flowers every where I'm seriously starting to take a major interest in birds. I'm a novice, but with some research on the internet I have started a game plan for getting some birds to come hang out with us in our lovely new garden area. My cats should just LOVE that, lol. 

I am going to apologize for my bad photography skills here again. IX-NAY on the vertical pictures and the cheesey ball frame!!! Hopefully the Hummingbirds forgive me and come for some yummy food anyway.

Bring on the Hummingbirds...