Some Winter Birds

Redpoll

I used to photograph birds all the time. I would put the winter feeders in the tree outside the window, and in the summer, I would walk early in the morning to capture them. It doesn't happen anymore because now I'm disabled and I can't even provide for the feeders any longer because the snow gets so deep.

White-breasted nuthatch

I have closed my Facebook account, and downloaded all of the photos I had there. I'm organizing them and came across these. There is no rhyme or reason to the selection: they were simply together in  one folder that Facebook sent me. I don't know the dates or whether I reported them to iNaturalist back then. But it is fun remembering how I kept busy in winter back in the day.

Redpolls

We get huge irruptions of redpolls here in the winter. They are so fun to watch and are very gregarious. There are two kinds, and I photographed both but can't remember them at the moment. To tell the truth, I'm so tired after the October spider series of posts that I can't bear to identify or write much about animals this weekend. These are more for memories than education.

Mourning dove

Goose on a neighbor's farm

Redpoll

Chickadee

I hope you enjoyed these and I also hope your weather and mine stays warm so that we don't need to burn oil (although I am beginning to worry about what this warm weather will mean for plants and overwintering animals).

Saturday's Critters at
Viewing Nature with Eileen

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Little Wounded Dove

Doves have very expressive faces.

This dove was behaving normally and even had a mate. But I noticed a bright red spot on its neck (below). We think it was a recent wound. I don't know how severe it is, so I'm glad the dove seemed happy and hoppy. I have seen her since this photo was taken, on April 2, and the spot is smaller and browner. She is still healthy and happy. Thank goodness!

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The Mourning Doves

I admit that mourning doves are not one of my favorite bird species. They remind me of city pigeons and they don't sing. Their voice reminds me of sadness in past summers. I don't know where I picked up that connection, but it's there. The doves eat on the ground and are very skittish and passive. Their brown colors make it difficult to photograph them successfully. But on this day in December, 2010 I got some good photos. What I do love about the doves is the exquisite blue circle around their eye.

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New Haven: One Day, Eight Birds

European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

Green Monk (or Quaker) Parrot (Myiopsitta monachus)

Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)

Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)

Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)

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Sunday Morning Mourning Dove

I am indulging myself again by posting seven photos of this morning's mourning dove. This bird has been difficult for me to photograph, but today I did it. I love her calm serenity and her eyes. Her eyes and lids have this wonderful bluish tint. Please take the time to view these photos full size by clicking on them. They will open in a new window.

I have had so many birds at the feeders this week that it is difficult to choose which photos to post. But I am sorting them out according to the needs of the memes.

Only a couple of hours after these photos were taken it began to snow and snowed all afternoon. The ground that you see here is now white. Again.

Click here for more information (and sounds) of the mourning dove.

Technorati Tags: Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura
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Photo Hunters: Through My Glass Lens

Birds at the feeders in today's snowstorm
(yes, another snowstorm and we got out of school early because of it):
above: Mourning Dove

Northern Junco

Hairy Woodpecker (male)

Black-capped Chickadee

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Technorati Tags: black-capped chickadee, Northern Junco, Junco hyemalis, Parus atricapillus, hairy woodpecker, Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura, Picoides villosus
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Good Mourning, Dove!

Outside temperature: 6°F (-14.4°C)

Doves close their eyes when they eat.

Technorati Tags: Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura 

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Wordless Wednesday: Snowy-Beaked Mourning Dove

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Technorati Tags: Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura

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Mourning Doves

Technorati Tags: Mourning Doves, Zenaida macroura

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Mourning Dove: My First Bird of the New Year

"The common wild dove." (Peterson) This dove showed up at the bird tree on New Years Day during the snow storm. It was feeding on the ground but saw me in the window. In the photo below, it is far from the house at the tree line. The photo is poor. But above is the photo when it returned to the bird tree outside my window. It sat there without moving for such a long time that I feared it would freeze in the wind. It never became accustomed to seeing me at the window. Now that I am at work again, I don't know if it has come back.

To me, these doves are city birds because I am so used to seeing them in the cities of Connecticut. I am learning more about them so that I can appreciate them more. One source of information and excellent photos of birds is this blog: Brookville, Ohio Daily Photo: Storm Coming, where you will find a wonderful photo of a mourning dove. See Abe's other dove photos and information at:

My Birds Blog

My Birds Blog

Brookville, Ohio Daily Photo

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Technorati Tags: Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura 

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