Monday, June 22, 2009

Peanuts!! Camera!! Action!!

All it takes is a platform feeder and a handful of peanuts….

First to arrive every morning and the last to call it a day at night is this tired looking fella.

Maybe because of these two fluffed up offspring waiting patiently on the trellis.

Well, maybe not too patiently because they’re squawking up a storm, until one decides she’s waited long enough and helps herself. Smart girl.

Yes mom does feed them too, but not as much as he does because after all, she did the hard part at the beginning, right?
Next to show up…

Stuffing his mouth to take to this little tailless fellow hunkering down in a corner by the little birdbath. Hey, you need water with those peanuts.


Last I saw of this little guy he was jumping through the back fence to hide in all the shrubs back there. Probably a good idea till his flying improves.

Soon to arrive is this handsome fella announcing his arrival by a rat-a-tat-tat on the gutter first.

His little one (not really that little now) is hugging the large oak tree in the back waiting for his share.

And this little downy is usually next.

Her little offspring is following so close behind her that he actually thumped into the window a few times before he finally learned to land on the trellis instead. No he wasn’t hurt.

How about this plump mama.

Since there’s no babies in sight, I don’t let her stay. An eating machine if I ever saw one. And when she’s done eating she’ll still park her fat self on here and sit forever!!!! So off she goes.

This is one that I never allow.

Wicked grackle. Killer of babies. Off with you!!!

And of course there’s Mr. Nose. He can smell a peanut a mile away. So far he hasn’t been able to figure out that all he has to do is jump up 2 feet and he’d be in peanut heaven. But I’m sure he’ll catch on pretty quick.


Unlike his larger rodent cousin, this guy had no problem scrambling up the side of the house and helping himself.



I guess that means I’ll have to be moving that feeder to a different place. Pain in the butt rodents, spoil all the fun..sigh..

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good Morning, What clear, pretty pictures of your feeders today. I especially love the chipmunk and the woodpecker. I love watching the birds and Harriet loves chasing the squirrels, but she's too plump to be a threat! Have a very nice day.

Roses and Lilacs said...

What a fun series of photos. Loved seeing your bird-friends. The Flydragon Cafe is serving the best meals for miles around.

I agree, the squirrels and chipmunks are a problem. They don't just eat the nuts, they will carry off and bury every single one.

Susie said...

flydragon I love all these pictures. Aren't those baby birds the cutest!?!?! I think right now my baby blue birds are driving their parents crazy. It seems they're pretty comfy in their home and refuse to come out.

Rose said...

What a busy place! Such variety! Love the chipmunk; so cute, even if he is a rodent.

Herrad said...

Hi FlyDragon,

Thanks for trhe great bird photos, sadly most are unknown to me,

What was the orange bird and what was the black bird you do not allow?

And which rodent has stripes like that?

Happy Summer Solstice to you.
Love,
Herrad

Rudee said...

You got some great pictures there. Love the woodpecker and his crowning glory.

Rose said...

Wow, Flydragon, you must have some gourmet peanuts there--what a great variety of birds coming to your feeder! And to think most of them have babies, too. These are great photos!

nvam said...

my fav pic has to be the chipmunk butt - cutest behind ever!

though nick would probably disagree and insist that fd#3 has the cutest behind ever.....

Brenda said...

The joys of summer! Great trip you took us on. I love to watch birds and animals.

Betty said...

Wow, I had no idea you had so many different birds coming to your feeder...what great pictures! I, of course, have always enjoyed squirrels and chipmunks, even though I know they can take over the feed dish. They are just so cute to watch when they have a peanut in their little paws.

Thanks for the 'view out your window'.

Dog_geek said...

Wowee - that is an impressive collection of visitors and their offspring that you have coming to your feeder! I just love the woodpeckers - even though we have gaboodles of them, I never get tired of seeing them. Every time, I'm like, "*gasp* - it's a woodpecker!!" Even if it has only been three minutes since I last saw one.

flydragon said...

Mildred,
Ha, plumpie pooch wouldn't know what to with it if she did manage to catch one:)) Hope you have a great day too!!

Marnie,
I tried following that stuffed cheeked chipmunk when I chased him outta there, but he was much too fast. I figure he has enough nuts stashed to feed his entire family and all his cousins families for a few years. Drat!!


Susie,
They are cute aren't they. Your baby blues sound like human kids I've come across:))


Rose,
I have to admit he is a cutie. A baddie, but a still a cutie:)

Hi Herrad,
That orange bird is really red and it's called a Cardinal. The black bird is a Grackle. A very mean bird that chases baby birds all around the yard and kills them. He also will attack them in their nest. The little rodent is called a Chipmunk. Cute, but a big nut stealer.
A very Happy Summer Solstice to you too!!


Rudee,
Big Red is one of my favorites too.
He also likes bagels. Throw a piece of bagel up in the air and he'll swoop down from the tree and catch it mid flight. Used to do that all the time. He would actually wait in that tree for me to come home from work with his bagel snack:)


Rose,
And these were only some of them, because I missed the chance of pics of the rest. They were too fast with their grab and dash:)


nvam,
Somehow I knew you'd like that one.


Brenda,
Great time of year for bird watching because of all the babies. Have never seen a baby chickadee, titmouse or nuthatch though. The adults usually visit my feeders but never at this time of year. Must keep those little ones completely hidden somewhere.

Betty,
Ha, I like to watch the young squirrels playing with each other. Jumping on top of each other and rolling around on the ground. Tried many times to get a picture of that but no luck so far:)

flydragon said...

DG,
LOL, I agree. Love those woodies. A Red Bellied woodie also comes quite a bit, but he's a little too fast for me to get a picture of. (Yes, I'm slow)
BTW, just how many is in a gaboodle??

Skye said...

Thanks for sharing these photos with us Flydragon, they're absolutely beautiful! :)

flydragon said...

Skye,
It was a two day project but fun for me. Glad you liked them:)

Di said...

Love your work, or shall I call it play. Such patience and persistance. You never fail to entertain us with your love of nature.

Far Side of Fifty said...

You have Cardinals! I am so envious..and Cardinal Babies too! Great photos, birds are really hard to photograph..so you did just great! I like your cute little nut stealing rodents, that Squirrel seems to be saying something..maybe "Got any chocolate" ..I know they are a pain when they eat you out of house and home.. Chance keeps them on the move here! :)

Jan said...

Great pix! You must have more patience than me.

troutbirder said...

My what a bird magnet you have. Think I'll try that too

flydragon said...

Di,
It was play the first day but work the second trying to keep that pesky chipmunk off of there till I could get more pics of birds. I swear he was up there every half hour, stealing all the peanuts:)


Farside,
I didn't know you don't have cardinals up there. For some reason I thought they were all over the U.S. (Shows what I know)
I need a Chance to chase those nut stealing rodents out of here too:))


Jan,
Not patience, maybe just more time to waste:))


Trout,
Works like a charm every time:)

TC said...

Stop callin me names! ;~P

oldcrow61 said...

What wonderful birds you have coming to your feeder. Great shots.

flydragon said...

TC,
Okay, but only because I figure you might just be calling yourself names a few months from now:)

OC,
Thanks. It did take me 2 days to get these shots though:)

Lovethiscottage.blogspot.com said...

Wonderful pics, what a great variety of birds you have. We have at last outwitted our squirrel after many failed feeder mounting plans... the feeder is suspended on an S hook in the middle of a 30 foot thin wire tied from tree to tree.

flydragon said...

kathi,
What a great idea. I think I might try that!! Thanks.

gauci123 said...

Love your photos especially the birds :)

Jan said...

I just love the photo of the bluejay with the mouth full of nuts! It's a great capture!