Suburban Wildlife Garden: Birds in My Garden

After several months of trying, I was finally able to get a photo of the male black-backed form of The Lesser Goldfinch, (Carduelis psaltria), that keeps visiting my garden...

These are not the best pics in the world, but I was thrilled to capture him at all since he's so skittish...

And I think this may be his girlfriend...

They were stuck together like glue up in the oak tree and flew away as one once they were finished drinking...

I had another visit from my friend the Yellow-rumped Warbler as well. He checked out my sedum urn first...

Then had a drink in the container water garden...

This winter I've fed a few Superworms to my wrens each day...

I bought a container of two-dozen worms from the local pet store and kept them alive by feeding them bits of carrot and oats. My cat, Mariah, thought they were very interesting...

But she didn't eat them, of course. She seems to be thinking, "Very funny Mom. Now where's the tuna?"

"I think we consider too much the good luck of the early bird and not enough the bad luck of the early worm." Franklin D. Roosevelt

11 comments:

Mikael Behrens said...: Nice pictures! I'm glad you're taking an interest in the local birds. (And I hope your cats live indoors.) The male Yellow-rumped Warblers are going to become beautiful in the next month or 2, before they return north.; February 26, 2009 at 8:02 PM
Dawn said...: Hi Mikael!

I have you to thank for formally introducing me to my Yellow-rumped Warblers to begin with. Thanks again for that. I look forward to seeing how lovely they will become; though I will miss them when they fly north. And yes, my two cats are always inside for their safety as well as the local songbirds.

Cheers!
Dawn; February 26, 2009 at 9:50 PM
Momma Bear said...: thanks for the follow! I look forward to perusing your blog. I see you have a handsome cat! I love cats, if only I weren't allergic-I want to always stick my face in their fuzzy sides.

Take Care!
Beth; February 27, 2009 at 11:50 AM
Lisa at Greenbow said...: Wow, lesser goldfinches for a yard bird. This is great. I have only seen them a few times in my life. Your cat is beautiful.; February 28, 2009 at 7:06 AM
Annie in Austin said...: Whether or not you think the photos are perfect, Dawn...you caught those lovely birds in your garden! Good for you.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose; February 28, 2009 at 11:52 PM
Dawn said...: Thanks Momma Bear!
Allergies are no fun. Not sure what I'd do if I were allergic to my cats. It would be a bummer to miss out on the purr-therapy.
>^~,~^<

Hello Lisa at Greenbow!
It took me a while to figure out what sort of birds they were. The first time I ever saw one was right after we moved to Austin and bought the new birdbath. The Lesser Goldfinches are pretty...and fast!

Dear Annie,
If only you could see all the bird-butt, blurry-bird and non-existant-bird photos I took while trying to capture these little guys. It's a bit embarrassing! I definitely know not to quit my day-job.
;-)

Cheers!
Dawn; March 6, 2009 at 1:08 AM
A wildlife gardener said...: When I updated my blog this year I lost your website, Dawn...and had to scroll backwards through mine to find you (in my comments box)again. I will go and put your blog on my main page as soon as I have written this comment as I like follow your posts.

I love your black-backed form of the Lesser Goldfinch. He is a stunner...and to capture his mate was really lucky too.

Miriah stole my heart though I have to say :); March 9, 2009 at 11:57 AM
Monica the Garden Faerie said...: I volunteered at a bird rescue for a time and I always sorted out the worms from the packing material... birds do prefer them alive!; March 11, 2009 at 11:50 AM
Brenda Pruitt said...: Such sweet little birds. They feed at my feeders each day. Your Siamese is quite beautiful.
Brenda; March 19, 2009 at 4:03 PM
Dawn said...: Dear Wildlife Gardenerm
Thanks for finding me again. It's easy to lose URL's sometimes.
Yes, I love the birds, but Miriah steals my heart everyday. :-)

Hello Monica,
Thank you for volunteering to rescue birds. That is a worthwhile cause indeed! Over the years we took several injured birds we found to a "bird lady" in the Orlando area when we lived there. I have great respect for those who dedicate their lives to saving wild animals.

Thanks Brenda,
Glad to hear you have lots of birds at your feeders as well. Life would be dull without the little animals in our lives. They add so much joy.

Cheers!
Dawn; March 20, 2009 at 2:58 AM
Piper said...: thank you for putting this up such a really great site. Stimulating me to read much more.

Piper
www.trendone.net; July 29, 2013 at 3:02 AM