Featherstone Quiltworks

I was going through some photos from the past couple of weeks, seeing what I could post today.  I was struck by a number of bird pictures where the birds are looking straight at me.  Well, they are not really.  They are looking at the window trying to figure out where that red beam is coming from (assuming birds aren’t color blind) and if they are in danger. 

If a bird seems pretty skittish, especially the hummingbirds, I will prefocus the camera on something that’s about the same distance away as the bird.  I usually use the top of the hummingbird feeder to prefocus on.  I press and hold the shutter half-way down to prefocus, adjust my aim so the bird is in the viewfinder, and take the picture.  Obviously, I didn’t do that for these pictures! 

First, a cute little Chickadee giving me “the eye” (and don’t you love the attitude in his stance?):

A Savannah Sparrow sharing a few words of wisdom with me:

A Goldfinch, thinking something pretty suspicious is going on:

I think this is a juvenile Brown-Headed Cowbird:

And that sums up who’s been looking at me lately.

–Sue

Some more what’s-out-my-window bird photos taken from the comfort of my home.  I definitely do need to wash the windows though!

The goldfinches have been hungry little boys and girls this week.  They have been regulars at my two seed feeders.  Isn’t this sweet?  Mr. and Mrs. Finch are having their dinner together.  Don’t you love the pattern the black-and-white feathers make when viewed from behind?

This is my first spring birding season with my new camera (Panasonic Lumix FZ35).  I’m still learning how to use all the features on it.  It does a great job of recording the detail of the bird’s feathers — as long as I’m close enough when I take the picture.   I think it’s fun to see feather detail like this on birds that we never get to see up close.

There was a pretty little house finch that wanted to join the goldfinches for dinner.  Only one problem.  His beak is too darn big for the little slot for the thistle seed.  (Say that ten times really fast!)  He did clean up all the loose bits the goldfinches left behind though.

Finally, my First Robin of Spring 2010!  What a handsome fellow:

–Sue (who needs to do some sewing and stay away from the windows for a while!)

Don’t you love to hear the birdies sing?  Spring is really here in Minnesota.  We’ve had an exceptionally mild March and April, and all of a sudden, those little birdies are everywhere!  A sampling of the last four days…a male cardinal:

A female cardinal (I think she was checking for fallen bird seed under the feeder):

A cute little chipping sparrow:

And a downy woodpecker:

It was so interesting to watch this woodpecker climb straight up this tree with no difficulty at all.  It looks like he has wide-spread toes to really grip the bark.

Well, I’ll save the rest of the flock for another post!

–Sue

Did I mention lately these are my favorite birds?  Oh?  I said that about pelicans, hummingbirds, night herons, and a multitude of other birds as well?  I guess my real favorite is whatever happens to be out my window, and today it was the hungry Cedar Waxwings.   

  I just love how “punk” these guys looked with their spiky “hair” and wrap-around sunglasses, don’t they look too cool for school?

 They came in a flock of eight or ten and took over the crab apple tree out my kitchen window.  They only ate off our tree, not the neighbor’s tree you can sometimes see in the background.  Go figure. 

Our tree is now picked clean, but I sure enjoyed their visit!

–Sue