I was scrunched into the yellow and brown leaves of the Mulberry tree, looking as inconspicuous as a pooh shaped woman can look, as I tried to catch a picture of the Acorn Woodpecker at the feeder. It was the wrong time of day and the wrong light, but there I was in the still warm ,late afternoon when I heard a loud, rather joyful sounding bird call. Calling repeatedly in a sort of sharp bark, this cunning bird moved right in on the feeder.
It started eating seed, then suddenly alert, noticed me huddled into the tree with my camera pointed toward it. Instead of flying off as other birds do, it hopped over to regard me with interest.
See the feathers on it's head? Is that a crest or can all finches raise those head feathers?
It walked along the edge of the feeder before hopping in to feed again, never showing the slightest fear. I've been lying in wait for it, but have never seen or heard it again.It's larger than a house finch. A Cassin's finch maybe? It has rosy-beige coloring.
This relative of the Hollyhock and Hibiscus, commonly called Miniature Hollyhock loves the cool weather and is about the only thing blooming here now.
It's a small flower, but makes the most of it's color.
12 comments:
Beautiful pictures to add a splash of color into an otherwise dreary day! You even caught the inquisitiveness of the bird.
Love the photos of the bird.
I have a hibiscus in my garden...it's one of my favourite plants. Beautiful colours.
Great photo catch. I'm not sure what the bird is but he was very interested in you. Pretty flowers too.
crested finch walking
on the edge of the feeder
picking crumbs and seeds
Mary Beth, it is a cherrful little flower..it's been gloomy here too, with no rain to reward us:o(
Akasha, I don't blame you for loving your Hibiscus..such a beautiflul flower, and at least four or five times larger than this little cousin..
Photo, thanks for the kind words.. I wish I could find out who the bird is..
A lovely poem for the Haiku collection! Thanks, Olivia:)
Go to my birds blog and scroll down to look at the Cardinals. Or click on the Cardinals. The immature cardinal is there and that is also what you have on your feeder.
Thanks for visiting my birds blog.
Your bird photos are gorgeous, She... I miss all the great ones I used to get in Minnesota, but around here this time of year, the pickings are pretty slim. I do have a big owl in the back yard every evening, though. "Hoo-HOO-hoo!" for over an hour. I love it.
OldML, thank you for taking the time to look at my bird, and by golly, I think you're right! We haven't seen any Cardinals at this elevation before, but I don't remember seeing or hearing this bird before either! And his fearless curiosity made me think he might be a youngster..Maybe the hotter temperatures and lack of water at lower elevations is encouraging them to range higher:)
OSD, I'd love to have an owl hootig outside my door!
You were lucky to get such a lovely pose from your young cardinal, birds aren't usually that co-operative. The flower picture is beautiful too.
What a pretty flower...love the color.
I love, love, love the flower pic. One my very favorite colors.
Rowan, I was trying to catch the elusive Acorn Woodpecker when this little guy showed up..what luck!
Changes,this is an easy one to grow. They happily reseed each year.
QD, I was taken by the color in a seed catalog, didn't get around to ordering, but then found the plant at a nursery.
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