Winter Birds by Feeder | Morning Dove Morning Doves are common in northern Illinois. The thing I like about Morning Doves; they don’t seem to easily scare, especially in the winter. Still, it seems a bit odd to me that they would stick around all winter, when they have wings. Yet, here they are; waiting for spring like the rest of us. To see the entire story with all seven images, go to Winter Birds by Feeder | a 7 Image Story.
Winter Birds by Feeder | Dark-eyed Junco Juncos are common in North America. East of the plains, they are all gray and white, but in the West they come in various color patterns. In winter, flocks of Juncos can be found around woodland edges and suburban yards. To see the entire story with all seven images, go to Winter Birds by Feeder | a 7 Image Story.
Winter Birds by Feeder | American Robin Robins must be hardy birds. Why some of them stick around in the winter when they could fly to a warmer climate is beyond me. They were my mom’s favorite bird; calling them: Little Robin Red Breasts. She always thought spring would soon be upon us, if she saw a Robin in late winter. Now, we see a few of them all winter long. To see the entire story with all seven images, go to Winter Birds by Feeder | a 7 Image Story.
Winter Birds by Feeder | Female Northern Cardinal Cardinals like winter; at least, they don’t seem to mind winter. The female and male Cardinals stay close together most of the time. Still, getting a good image of both of them in the same frame is more than a little difficult. Although the female is not as brilliant red as the male, she really stands out against the snow. To see the entire story with all seven images, go to Winter Birds by Feeder | a 7 Image Story.
Winter Birds by Feeder | Blue Jay Native to North America, the Blue Jay stays around all winter. They are very aggressive and sometimes mean to other birds. Still, they are beautiful against the snow. They mainly feed on nuts and seeds so they show up every day to the bird feeder; particularly, when snow covers the ground. To see the entire story with all seven images, go to Winter Birds by Feeder | a 7 Image Story.
Winter Birds by Feeder | Male Northern Cardinal Male Cardinals cheer us up during the winter months with its brilliant red body. Cardinals don’t migrate and they don’t molt into a dull plumage, so they stay breathtakingly beautiful against winter’s snow. Northern Cardinals tend to sit low in shrubs and trees or forage on or near the ground, often in pairs. Although, it’s really difficult to capture both the male and female in a single image. To see the entire story with all seven images, go to Winter Birds by Feeder | a 7 Image Story.
Winter Birds by Feeder | Red-bellied Woodpecker Why not call the red-bellied woodpecker, a red-headed woodpecker instead? You might not have noticed the rose coloring on a red-bellied woodpecker’s breast. Whoever first named this bird must have had a strange sense of humor. Red-bellied Woodpeckers bring bright colors and exciting action to bird feeders. They are attracted to bird feeders, near wooded areas, containing a bird mix including suet or sunflower seeds. To see the entire story with all seven images, go to Winter Birds by Feeder | a 7 Image Story.
Winter Birds by Feeder | a 7 Image Story Colorful winter birds cheer us up during the long, cold winter months. My bird feeder gets used heavily in the winter; particularly when show covers the ground. In fact, sometimes there’s so many birds, it seems like they need a control tower to direct air traffic. They do have their own version of “see and avoid.” The smaller birds give way to the larger ones on the feeder. Many just fly down to the ground beneath the feeder to get leftovers. When a Blue Jay arrives, all birds clear out or given it wide birth. Of course, many more than seven bird species visit the feeder during winter months. For this post, I’ve chosen some of the more colorful birds as well as the more frequent visitors. Perhaps, another post will be needed later.
First things first, why not call the red-bellied woodpecker, a red-headed woodpecker instead? You might not have noticed the rose coloring on a red-bellied woodpecker’s breast. Whoever first named this bird must have had a strange sense of humor. I’m not a birder so I don’t get it. Still, it’s call a red-bellied woodpecker. And, why are Blue Jays mean? Because they are. For that matter, why do some birds stick around for the winter while others leave to warmer climates? Experts tell us that birds can and do survive extremely harsh winters. The primary reason for migration is food. Some birds can forage for insects in the bark of trees and find enough other food to make it through the cold winter months. In fact, in some areas even a few American robins stay through the winter months.
Winter can be a difficult time to capture wildlife images particularly small birds. Sure fewer leaves on the trees make it a bit easier to capture an image of the species remaining. Getting close enough to the bird with a long lens still remains the biggest obstacle. Placing a bird feeder close to windows and doors make a big difference. Even then, shooting images through windows takes skill and post processing software. These seven images were captured with a 70-300mm lens, equivalent to 189-810mm using a 2.7 crop factor on the V1 & V3, at a distance between 5 and 15 feet. Little birds tend to have big lenses pointed at them.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Winter Birds by Feeder.
Click any image below for a slide show!
