Indigo Bunting

I spied this bird and took these shots out a window with a screen on it, so they aren't the best. But this is a beautiful bird. I love the color.

Unknown Bird

 I initially thought this was a tufted titmouse, but not so sure now. Thoughts?

A Juvenile Redwing Blackbird

It took me a while to figure this bird out. I thought it had to be a redwing blackbird, but there was no red. Finally, I found a photo of the bird in the juvenile state and viola! The answer.

Red-tailed Hawk

I saw this amazing (and large) bird land in the pines and keep an eye on my bird feeder for over an hour. I suspect the bird was contemplating breakfast.

Red-tailed hawks are found throughout Virginia and can have up to a 4-foot wing span.

Cardinals on Ice

 

Cardinals in the Snow

The bird feeder seems to be particularly attractive to cardinals. They light in the tree in the front yard and take off from there to hit the feeder. They go back and forth. While the male is brighter, I find myself hunting out the females, to be sure they receive their time in the spotlight.

 

Vultures

 

Cardinals

 

More Birds

 A tufted titmouse and a pileated woodpecker.

Male and Female Cardinals

 The males always have to show off their colors, don't they?

A Teary Titmouse Tale

Around 12:45 p.m., I was sitting at my computer working when I heard something go wham into the house.

Or so I thought.

I looked out the window and I could see feathers wafting away in the wind. I thought a bird had hit the window. I jumped up and headed out the door to see if I could save it.

Outside, I found a pile of feathers, including a long gray-black tail feather. No bird.

While I am really pleased with my birdfeeder, I'm afraid I have set up a nice space for hawks to find lunch. Large red-tail hawks come through here about this time every year.

Perhaps the hawk clipped the house as he raced away with his prize. Or maybe the noise was simply the loud kill, the whoosh of loss of life echoing through air.

At any rate, I was sure a hawk had found a meal.

As I turned to go back into the house, a tufted titmouse landed on the birdfeeder. I saw the long tail feather, so similar to the one on the ground, and thought, Ah, it was a tufted titmouse that was no longer alive.

Then I listened to a sad song coming from the bird on the feeder. I shot a few photos and went back inside.

The bird sang its mournful tune for a long time. I cringed every time I looked out and saw the bird still sitting there. Finally, it flew away.

I looked it up, and apparently tufted titmouse are birds that mate for life. I am assuming it was the mate who sat on my bird feeder singing forlornly.

This makes me profoundly sad.

Thursday Thirteen - #685

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 685th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

The Birds Like the Feeder