Serenity Cove Birds

What a brutal, cold, snowy, winter it is turning out to be. January was one of the coldest on record and February is pretty much the same.
I have a serious case of the winter blahs and I am counting down the days until spring. 34 Days! Only thing is...in Ohio that doesn't mean much. Not to be a pessimist but it could be double that. I'm holding out for an early spring because I think we DESERVE it after putting up with this cold winter!

Red-bellied Woodpecker

 

Watching and feeding birds is one bright spot in the long winter months.

The birds were slow to come around earlier in the winter, but it's been a feeding frenzy since the extreme cold arrived.

 

Here are just a few of the birds that are daily visitors at the feeders.

 

Downy Woodpecker

 

Northern Flicker

 

Pileated Woodpeckers

 

Three Pileated Woodpeckers have been regular visitors this winter but I just can't get that third one in the picture.

 

The wing span of a Pileated!

 

Beat It......I was here first!

 

Blue Jays cannot resist peanuts. A lot of people don't like Blue Jays but I tolerate them because they warn other birds when a predator is in the area. They hog a lot of food though.

 

White Crowned Sparrow

 

Here is a Brown Creeper that usually shows up during the last half of winter.

 

The bluebirds are always my favorite. I never get tired of watching them as you can tell by the amount of pictures I take of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Tree Hugger

 

 

 

House Finch

 

 

 

For a while I thought we weren't going to have any Cardinals this year but they finally showed up when the weather got extremely cold in January. Not as many as some years, but at least we got a few. They are such beautiful birds and their cheer, cheer, cheer, birdie, birdie, birdie, song are such a welcome sound in the spring.

 

 

 

 Carolina Wren

These little birds are so much fun to watch. They just seem to bounce around all over the place, checking out all the feeders and investigating every nesting cavity.

 They love to steal the dried mealworms I put out for the bluebirds, usually getting to them first. But that's okay, it seems the bluebirds would rather eat the suet. 

 

Junco

 

Tufted Titmouse

 

American Goldfinch

 

Patiently waiting on spring.

Bluebird Paradise

After a few weeks weeks of milder weather, winter is back with a vengeance, this time with frigid temperatures. Not so much snow, just COLD!! 

 I hate the cold but it always brings the birds back in droves. I get a lot of bird traffic at my feeders, but nothing thrills me more than the amazingly beautiful bluebirds.

 I was wondering what happened to all the bluebirds I had last winter.

 After fledging last summer, they completely disappeared.  When we got about a foot of snow a few weeks ago, I finally noticed three of them out at the feeders. They must have spread the word there's free food available because there is a whole flock of them now. I am so happy to have them back.

Isn't she adorable? Fluffing up their feathers creates air pockets that help them maintain their body temperature.

At times bluebirds can have the most solemn expressions and.....

other times they look angry.

I put some mealworms out hoping the bluebirds would get to them before the other birds found them, but the nuthatch snatched them up real quick.

Suet is in very high demand on cold winter days. In this type of weather I go through two blocks per day, plus what I spread in holes in trees or on a hollow log.

 Recipe here. They go crazy for it!

Checking out the apples.

Sorry.....This post was intended to be photos of all the birds at my feeders but I got a little carried away taking pictures of the bluebirds I didn't know when to stop. So I'll do a separate post of the other birds.

A Surprise Bird Visit

I'm enjoying watching the birds bring their young to the feeders this summer especially the bluebirds. The bluebirds are now coming on their own and I was elated to discover there are three instead of two like I originally thought.

They are inquisitive little things, this one is checking out the bird bath.

What do I do now?

Nosedive

"A-Splishing and A-Splashing"

I finally managed to capture all three on one photo.

Brown Thrasher

Tufted Titmouse

Downy Woodpecker

And the surprise bird.....

Red-Headed Woodpecker

I mentioned before that I've never had a Red-Headed Woodpecker at my feeders. Well, last week one morning my husband said there was a Red-Headed at the feeder earlier. I was pretty skeptical but he had taken a few pictures to prove it. I was a little upset that I had missed it but I set my camera up just in case he came back, and sure enough he did.

It's always exciting to see a new bird at the feeder, especially a rare one like this.

They are very skittish birds but he's been back everyday for over a week now. I'm hoping he stays!