Our cat Whiskey was excited to look out of his window post-Milton and see a new lifer bird at his feeder. Well, it’s a lifer to him. It’s the first time we’ve seen a Rose-breasted Grosbeak in our backyard.
The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are back for the winter. I’ve had both male and female birds vying over the feeder. They were especially hungry the morning after the hurricane! This next picture surprised me – not at all my usually Beastly image quality, but not bad given that it was taken through my office window and our porch screen! The little hummer was happy that there were flowers left in the yard.
Hopefully I’ll get to spend some quality Beast time with this little beauty soon!
The buntings always return to my yard in the first two weeks of October. This little guy was right on schedule, on October 2. I peeked out during a work call, saw him at my feeder, and did a little happy dance. So far he’s a Lone Ranger. Hopefully his friends are not too bothered by the approaching storm Milton.
Meet Precious. She’s my dad’s cat. She keeps him on his toes. Every afternoon at precisely 2:30, she leads him out on the porch. She checks on her lizards and supervises his refilling of her bird feeders.
I had taken my camera that day because I’d been watching a nest of Red-bellied Woodpeckers in my dad’s neighbor’s tree. The babies had already fledged, but Precious let me go sit on my mom’s favorite bench and photograph her birds. There were plenty of other babies to watch.
This little cardinal is a juvenile. He’s molting into his adult colors, so we can tell he’s a little boy. He was really grateful that the doves had knocked a bunch of seed down onto the ground for him.
Feed me! Feed me! Feed me!
The sound of a baby mockingbird is unmistakeable. Nagging. Maybe even annoying. This bird was big enough to fly, but his parents were still feeding him. Here’s the lunge as he spotted his parent across the yard and moved to the prime feeding position.
After my dad refilled the big feeder, the Blue Jays were the first to move in. After the adults quieted their relentless teenagers, the juvies settled down in the nearby trees. Mom or Dad returned to the feeder alone, seeming to enjoy the peace and quiet of eating alone. I think this guy was tossing his seed like a good handful of popcorn.
Precious is looking forward to cooler temperatures as her fall birds return to Florida. In the meantime, she recommends that you drink lots of cool water and sleep in the shade!