I've been inspired by Old Man Lincoln at My Birds blog and by Olivia who has been posting some wonderful pictures, information, and quotes about the birds at her feeder in Germany, to post some pictures of some of the birds that come in to my feeder.
We've always fed the birds with cylinder shaped feeders at the top of tall posts very close to a huge old cypress tree. The birds like this, because they can fly into the protection of the tree to check everything out for safety before feeding.
One day, I remarked to Eeyore that I longed for a flat bottomed feeder closer to the living room window, so we could better observe the birds, and that maybe I could get some photos through the window. Down to his basement workshop he went, and before long, appeared with a flat bottomed feeder made from scrap wood, a piece of old plastic window screen and some chain. He hung it from a pole right outside the living room window, we put an assortment of seed, sunflower seed, peanuts, and Niger into it and it's been a circus ever since. The only problem is that the seed gets wet on the rainy and snowy days, so the next project may be some kind of roof. Wet or not, they still flock to it all though the other feeders are filled and they could choose those. We clean and fill it every day so any seed that escapes a hungry bird, (fat chance) won't spoil or sour.
I've been lurking behind the living room curtain trying to catch some pictures, and sometimes the birds see me and fly away in a flurry of fear, but they're soon back. Some see me and just go back to eating, like this little female finch. Note, I don't say what kind of female finch because I'm not sure at the moment.. they look very much alike. I thinnnnnk this is a female purple finch. 
This little darling falls into the category of Dark Eyed Junco.
Here, a Spotted Towhee faces off with a female White Crowned Sparrow, while a Junco looks on. I simply can't get a good picture of the Towhee. He never stops moving.
The Purple Finch is a fairly recent visitor and here a trio of males seem to be enjoying the feast.
And who says birds are so different from people? Even when a bird has the feeder to itself, it can't resist checking out what's going on underneath. Could the birds picking up spilled seed on the ground be getting something better?
Is the grass greener down there? Or the seed tastier, as the case may be. Is this the same instinctual question that drove our ancestors to embark on tiny ships on fearsome seas or covered wagons headed into hostile territory looking for something better?
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