Today I sat on my back deck (only for a few minutes as the high today is only 31 degrees!) and tried to capture a few of them, which is a little harder than you'd think as they all act as if they have A.D.D. and don't hold still for more than a few seconds at a time.
This one, I got a good shot of, is a Tufted Titmouse. Wikipedia says that Tufted Titmice "tend to be curious about their human neighbors and can sometimes be spotted on window ledges peering into the windows to watch what's going on inside. They are more shy when seen at bird feeders; their normal pattern there is to scout the feeder from the cover of trees or bushes, fly to the feeder, take a seed, and fly back to cover to eat it." This describes the ones I was watching to a "T". They would hide in the nearby Rhododendron and when they felt safe, they'd come to the feeder and eat. But yet one of them was actually brave enough to land briefly on my knee while I sat there photographing them!
If you don't have a bird feeder, or suet feeder in this case, I encourage you to get one. Watching how cheery the birds are can make a dismal, dreary winter a little brighter!
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10 comments:
This is a beautiful photo. I love watching the birds come to the feeder. I must get a suet feeder. I know they love suet and seeds and it is a high source of protein for our feathered friends.
Thanks so much for sharing.
Blessings,
Mary
Gorgeous photo -- coincidentally, Sara from Farming Friends has a photo of a titmouse up today, too. Happy GTS!
I like your tufted titmouse photograph. It is such a cute bird - and not one that we see around here (at least I don't think so!)
The titmouse will likely spend lots of time in your garden ... what a good idea to have the suet feeder.
I have never tried bringing a bougainvillea indoors. I don't know if it will survive. I'll let you know how it fares!
That's a great shot!
Very cool photo and interesting that they are interested in watching humans
This is a great shot! I agree with you about the difficulty of getting bird shots - I've tried many times without much success. Once I actually stood up on a tank stand to get some Rainbow Lorikeets eating Locut fruit. I'll have to try setting up a bird feeder though, sounds like it helps.
Cheers,
David
Thanks everyone!
Genie, I also saw Sara's Titmouse and made the comment that it must be "Bird Day"! :)
Kate, Do let me know how your Bougainvillea does. If it stays alive, I'll try it next year! I brought in my Hibiscus and a Heather this year and they both dropped a lot of leaves at first, but now seem to be adjusting.
David,
Do get a bird feeder! They find it very quickly and if you put it fairly low you can sit and become part of the scenery and get lots of great shots.
Today I saw male & female Downey Woodpeckers. It's my goal to get their photo in the next few weeks.
I also saw a Red-Tailed Hawk today. He was not at my feeder but down the street pecking at a deer carcass. I was so mad because I was without my camera and when I went back he was gone.
I love the photo.
I have several bird feeders.
The birds clean them out so fast that they are empty half the time.
I'm not sure I would have the patience to try to photograph them. Although, a bird made a nest in one of my feeders last spring and I was able to document the growth of the babies on my blog.
That was fun.
Enjoy.
Chigiy at Gardener’s Anonymous said:
Great shot....I have found that tufted timice are one the hardest feeder birds to photograph. They never keep still, and you captured this one in a great pose.
Tom