Winter Goldfinch #1090

During the last half of November I only had a few opportunities to walk out in the back yard. It was usually very cold and windy. Worse, very few birds were out. The only exception was on November 17, when a lone male Eastern Goldfinch suddenly perched on the fence rail. Males resemble the females in drab winter garb, but their plumage is suffused with varying degrees of yellow, most evident around their face and neck This male was particularly bright:

The bird dropped down and was nearly invisible in the weeds behind the fence. I obtained a few more lucky shots, this on a dried-up American Burnweed which still has a few clinging seeds with attached fluffy "parachutes" (pappus):  

It then flew to the dried-up stalk of an Evening Primrose. Note the few black feathers on the bird's forehead, remnants of the conspicuous black patch he will sport in summer plumage:

In the background, the clinging brown leaves of an oak tree created pleasant bokeh:

So much for my outdoor birding. Seen through the windows of the front door, an American Robin posed nicely in the bare branches of the Aspen next to the feeders:

A  male Northern Cardinal perched in the same tree, then flew down to feed on the safflower seeds in the hanging platform:

A Black-capped Chickadee paused briefly on the granite ledge before flying up to grasp a single sunflower seed:

An Eastern Bluebird inspected the suet feeder:

Another bluebird fed at the pine cone stuffed with peanut butter (a poor photo  taken diagonally through the double panes):

A Hairy Woodpecker tasted the suet. Note its large size, longer bill and pure white outer tail feathers which distinguish it from the Downy Woodpecker:

The male Hairy's red occipital patch is bisected by a black stripe, while the male Downy has a single red spot:

Two days later, this male Downy Woodpecker stopped by to provide a comparison. Its bill sticks out only about the same distance as the space between its base and the Downy's eye: 

My computer station is reflected in the glass of our front door, which provides a good view of the feeders:

Just after sunrise on November 28, the full Beaver Moon was setting over Hartford:

This week's header: Beaver Moon setting over Hartford

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Linking to:

Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Saturday's Critters

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Image-in-ing

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Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

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Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
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Perennial Bluebirds

At our previous home in south Florida, Eastern Bluebirds were rarely encountered. They depend upon tree cavities for nesting and face competition from introduced House Sparrows and European Starlings. Widespread development in southern Florida during the 20th Century resulted in loss of bluebird habitat, particularly pine forests. There have been a few attempts to reintroduce them, with limited success. They nest in the northern two-thirds of Florida as well as the eastern half of the US and southeastern Canada. 

Here in central Connecticut, bluebirds may be present all year round. It would be difficult to tell whether the individual winter birds are permanent residents or migrants from the north. Severe winters may drive them to move south and along the coast. Judging by their habits, I suspect that those which we saw last winter and those that are lingering into mid-November are the same birds that raised their families nearby. One or two family groups frequently visited our suet feeders, often foraged together and inspected the nest boxes.   

Cold, windy and wet weather and medical issues have kept me inside most of the past two weeks. I obtained these window shots of a male Eastern Bluebird at the suet feeder in early November:

This poor photo of a pair visiting a nest box was from about 80 feet (24 m) away through our permanently stained rear porthole window. The female, in flight,  has a gray head and less intense blue and red plumage:

In a stroke of good luck, several visited the nest box while I was outside and not far away:

These photos, also taken outside, are of bluebirds roosting in trees on the opposite side of the clear-cut, about 100 feet (30 m) distant:

From my high perch at the upstairs kitchen window, the early morning light and deep shadows presented an exposure challenge as I watched a flock of American Robins harvesting crabapples. Our bluebirds and robins are both members of the Thrush family (Turdidae):

Again from outside, a  highlight was this visitor from the north, a lone female Purple Finch which posed briefly in the shrubs:

A White-breasted Nuthatch peered out from behind a tree trunk:

Window shot of a female Northern Cardinal:

Sunset on November 15:

For my reflection meme, I retrieved this view of Mangroves in an estuary off Sanibel Island, Florida, October, 2015:

This week's header: November Sunset 

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Linking to:

Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Saturday's Critters

Garden Affair

All Seasons

Image-in-ing

Nature Notes

Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World
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Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
________________________________________________

Feathered royalty wearing golden crowns

Temperatures have dropped well below freezing, so my photographic excursions into the back yard have been brief and often unproductive. Highlights over the past two weeks have been visits by a troupe of diminutive  kings and queens. The procession included two species.

Golden-crowned Kinglets move down from their breeding grounds in northern New England and Canada. Some stay here all winter, but most continue south into the lower 48 States. A small flock of these tiny birds suddenly appeared along the back fence. They were very active, and I obtained a short burst of images of only one. The males usually have a bit of red or orange in the middle of their yellow head patch, so this is probably an adult female:

There was a single Ruby-crowned Kinglet among them. The male's red crest is usually hidden. In spring it is much more in evidence:

My remaining photos were taken of birds in and around the feeders, from inside the windows of our front door. The golden-brown autumn leaves provided a nice background for this Tufted Titmouse as it hacked at a sunflower seed:

A Blue Jay briefly commandeered the suet feeder:

White-breasted Nuthatches visited frequently:

Other feeder visitors included a male Red-bellied Woodpecker...

...and a male Northern Cardinal:

Dark-eyed Juncos fed on scattered seed, under the feeders:

A lone Turkey Vulture flew over. I stepped outside for this shot:

Again, in search of a contribution to the reflection meme, I recalled the white heads of these two Bald Eagles, seen during a wildlife cruise out of Ketchikan, Alaska in June, 2014:

This week's header: Golden-crowned Kinglet

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Linking to:

Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Saturday's Critters

Garden Affair

All Seasons

Image-in-ing

Nature Notes

Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World
________________________________________________

Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
________________________________________________