Ruby Throated Hummingbird (April ‘10)

I have a tough time getting any pictures of the hummingbirds…but I did get a couple of this Ruby Throated on the Bottlebrush Bush.

and this short video.

Indigo Buntings 4.18.10

A couple of the Indigo Buntings are still here. One was at the feeder this morning.

Two Green Painted Buntings showed up to share the feeder.

4 Indigos came in this evening. They will all be migrating sometime this month. We were gone for a week and I was surprised there were still a few here. I hate to see them leave.

The blue is so striking it is easy to see them as they fly around. They spend more time on the ground now…they did that last year just before they left.

This one and the squirrel are sharing the seed.

Sometimes they are more visible in the camera than with the naked eye.

In this video there is a Cardinal…green Painted Buntings and a couple of Indigos.

I will miss them when they leave.

4.15.10 Painted Bunting & Catbird

One of my male Painted Buntings. This one has a lime-green patch on it’s back. There is one that has orange.

I hope to bore you with many many more.

While waiting for the Painted Bunting to return…..this Catbird came in …waiting for me to leave so it could get to the birdbath.

He thinks I cant see him. It’s such a beautiful bird.

One of the nice things about taking pictures of the different birds…you get a chance to see how really beautiful they are.

Buntings and Cardinals at the feeder..still here 4.11.10

The Buntings are still here….I took these just before we went out on the boat.

The little green Painted Buntings are either female or only a year old.

There are a few that I am sure are males, changing into their mature colors.

If you compare this “greenie” to the others you can see the reddish color on it’s breast. That is why I think this is a young male just molting into it’s color. Both pictures are of the same bird..but minutes apart.

The 2 “greenies” below show not coloring at all.

I very seldom see them at the feeders without a Cardinal  nearby. They seem very happy with their company.

This male Cardinal wasn’t about to miss a meal. I have 3 feeders in this area, and they are just getting used to this one.

This male Painted Bunting sat on the fence, by the Bottlebrush bush, for quite awhile this morning, before coming to the feeder. I think it was waiting for the Cardinals to come in…..

As soon as this female showed up…..he joined her .

on the river again

If you want to see what I’m watching now…you’ll have to go to www.alwayslingerawhile.blogspot.com    we are on the St Johns River for a week so all my posts will be from there.

I hope the Buntings will still be there when I get home…They start migrating in April.

See you on the water…oh!!!   I posted a picture of a Sand Hill Crane….and I didn’t realize until I downloaded the photos…that she had a very young “chick” with her.  What a great surprise…be sure to stop by and see it.

Backyard Bunnies (April 2010)

I know to all your gardeners….this is a pest. But I really enjoy these little guys.

I have a couple of “wildlife” habitats…..brush piles….all the branches that fall and the palm fronds are put into these…..the palm fronds laid out so as to create a roof and help keep some of the water out.  They are not pretty…but I love the bunnies that use them. Most of our area is wet and has standing water after hard rains…so I create a place where they can get up out of the water……and in the tree line for cover. It’s about 4’ tall now…but things breakdown so fast here that it probably wont get much taller.

This one got started when a tree fell down…right there…so we left if and started building on it.  There are a couple of others that were created during the 2004 hurricanes when we had so many trees go down..but they are pretty well gone now.

The bunny was sitting right outside the screen room where I was having coffee. I walked out and tossed it a handful of corn and 2 small carrots. He found one and the other is that bit of orange in the R corner.  He eventually got it. I don’t normally feed in this spot…it was already there munching on the grass…but it could dash under the screen room if necessary…as long as it doesn’t mind the Armadillo that’s under there . 

I have seen 4 rabbits…I don’t usually see more than one or two at a time.  They are such cute little things. They make me think of kids eating spaghetti, when munching on a long blade of grass.

Color at the feeders 3.30.10

In this video there are Blue Indigo Buntings, Cardinal, Green Painted Buntings, Male Painted Buntings and a Gold Finch. It’s the first Gold Finch I have seen here. I hope it comes back. The Buntings will all be migrating in the next couple of weeks. Last year they were gone by April 15. I had been hoping some would stay and nest here…but they didn’t.

In this picture there are 4 greens.

Here is a beautiful male, a green and an Indigo Bunting. Sometimes when I look out there will be only one or two greens and then the trees seem to be alive with little birds darting in and out. They especially like the Bottlebrush bushes…..I think it’s the nice thick foliage.

I really like this feeder. There is a divider so there are 4 sections. I put black sunflower seeds in one quarter for the Titmice and Cardinals. The Buntings seem to prefer the white millet. It keeps the squirrels out..but I have had Blackbirds get into it. Most cant figure out that they have to fly up and under the top…but even one or two can empty it in a hurry. So I put a cage around it for awhile …until they get discouraged.