Four Birds

There are only four (or five) types of birds that visit my feeders after I switched to safflower seeds. Fortunately they're some of my favorites, so I don't mind the lack of variety.

Today I'll take a quick look at all of them, starting with the Black-capped Chickadees.

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These little birds are frisky and noisy, but in a good way. They're usually the first to appear after I refill the feeder. Garb a seed and fly off to a branch to eat is their M.O.

Next up is the Tufted Titmouse, another chatty bird that is quite pretty:

Like the chickadees they'll fly in...

...grab a seed and choose a nearby branch...

...grasp the seed underfoot...

...and peck away:

A less-frequent visitor at this time of year is the house finch:

It was difficult to get a photo of this finch, so I couldn't be too choosy!

I just saw a single female that day, but in the spring when they nest under the overhang of my front porch the whole extended family is out here.

The White-breasted Nuthatch swoops in once in a while, but always flies out of sight to eat (or hide) the seeds. I love hearing a mated couple (or family) of nuthatches making their way up and down the trees in the area, quietly calling to each other as they go.

That's about it for the species that I see. I will get an occasional Cardinal, but I don't think they like safflower seeds very much, which is a shame. Blue Jays too avoid these seeds, so I'm probably going to start putting some sunflower seeds into the feeder out back, just to get both of them coming into the yard again.

Note that I use safflower seed only because squirrels and blackbirds won't eat it. Those two pests will combine to empty feeders in minutes, whereas the safflower seed lasts for a day or two -- and I know that the "good" birds are getting it.


What birds do you see at this time of year?

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