bluebird in Snow - 3

Stare down

A Bluebird and a Downy Woodpecker in a stare down of who gets to stay and eat the suet.

Downy Woodpecker - male

Check out those claws - perfect for gripping!

Pilieated Woodpecker

Piliated Woodpeckers are the largest woodpeckers in the US.

Bluebird Ready for Takeoff

Piliated Woodpecker on Suet

Right outside our window, this photo was taken through the glass - but what fun to see these incredible birds up close.

Eastern Bluebird flying in the rain

Bluebird Taking Off in the rain

A little push and all the water on the shephards hook goes flying - a bit of power from a little bird.

Piliiated Woodpecker on tree

Thjese magnificent birds are climbers for sure - just look at those claws! They use their tail as a stabilizer on the tree and on the suet feeders too.

Pilieated Woopecker - claws

These claws are equally at home on a tree and gripping this suet feeder.

Piliated Woodpecker Tail Feathers

A view of those powerful wings and tail feathers while he munches on the suet feeder.

Female Cardinal in the snow

This female cardinal flew in and poked her head above this little bit of snow and I just happened to have my camera in hand!

Morning Dove

2 feet of snow fell on December 17 and the birds all came to our feeders and our trees to eat and celebrate! At one point we had 4 morning doves all together.

Downy Woodpecker in the Snow

this is a male downy woodpecker - see that little tuft of red on his head

Tufted Titmouse

All puffed up in the snow and cold staying warm during the winter storm in Vermont.

Male House Finch

This House Finch is a common sight at our feeders and usually shows up plenty of friends. They will eat at the feeders or scrounge for food in the snow.

Female House Finch kicking up the snow

This female house finch has just kicked up some snow looking for seeds dropped from the feeder.

American Goldfinch

Watching backyard birds forage in the snow is so much fun! This Goldfinch pulled it's head out of the snow and shook spreading snow all over. I love the textrue of the winter feathers in this shot.

American Goldfinch in Winter

Nuthatch in the early morning sun

Nuthatches are one of our favorite backyard birds. They wander down trees head first and their shape and lines are beautrifuul.

White Breasted Nuthatch

We have had a pair of nuhatches at our feeders for years. We love to watch them walk down trees and tree limbs - yup, head first they go!

Hanging On - Red Breasted Nuthatch

How do they do this? Just hanging on!

Downy Woodpecker on the tree

Walking up trees takes up alot of time in a woodpeckers life. Downy's are one of the smaller woodpreckers and you can ID them by their shorter bill.

Female Hairy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpeckers are larger than Downy Woodpeckers and have a longer beak.

Pilieated Up Close and Personal

We have had so much fun watching a pair of piliated woodpeckers come to our feeders this year. We see 2 at a time fairly often and one day saw 3 out at our feeders. They spook easily though.

Pilieated Woodpecker climbing up

3-2-1 Go

This titmouse is ready to a flight.

Titmouse in flight

Sometimes the backyard birds will fly away and other times they kind of jump from place to place - maybe from the feeder to the ground or to a limb. A short flight.

Mourning Dove Pair

A beautiful bird - the color of the eye ring, the under feathers, the top feathers all come together to showcase this very pretty bird.

Tufted Titmouse

All puffed up in the snow and cold staying warm during the winter storm in Vermont.

Female Cardinal in the snow

Mourning Dove in the Fallling Snow

Perserverance

Watching wrens and other backyard birds build their nests is an incredible sight to behold. Little twigs to ones that you just can't figure out how they are going to fit are brought back to the nest time and time again. Where there's a will there's a way! Perserverance, stubborness, persistance and eventually success.

Just Landed - Eastern Phoebe

Protecting the Nest - Eastern Phoebe

With a nest nearby, this Momma Eastern Phoebe was protecting her nest and giving me the evil eye.

Eastern Phoebe flying

Nestlings - Eastern Phoebe babies

These little ones are outgrowing the nest and will probably fledge in a few days.

Peek A Boo - Red Bellied Woodpecker

A red bellied Woodpecker peeks around a tree limb coated with snow.

Red Bellied Woodpecker II

Yes a red bellied - you can see a faint blush of red on his belly.