Monday, October 26, 2009

"A Little Better All the Time"

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We took advantage of the great weather to spend some time in our yards yesterday. There was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker on the elm again. I'm not sure if it was the same male as on Saturday, though, because it was instantly chased off by another Sapsucker.


Then I got a very brief look at our first Chipping Sparrow of the season. What beautiful little birds they are! I didn't manage to get a photo but no doubt it will return, probably with several friends. Here's a photo of a Chipping Sparrow from 2007.


Northern Cardinals were one of our most reliable visitors over the summer and they're more used to our presence than the other birds that visit.


The male Downy Woodpecker turned up again and he wasn't quite so nervous this time.


Later, after we'd been driven indoors by mosquitoes, Dee and I were thrilled when a pair of Carolina Wrens appeared just outside our livingroom window.


For small birds, they certainly have loads of personality. I love watching them rummaging through the hanging baskets and flower pots. Definitely snappers-up of unconsidered trifles.

2 comments:

Sharon said...

What a great shot of the Carolina Wren - are they about the same size as our Wrens in the UK? This one seems a bit bigger, still cute though!

Jeff said...

Hi, Sharon.
I'm not sure of the size of the British wren. The Carolina Wren is the biggest of our non-desert US wrens, at about 5.5 inches. (Cactus Wrens run to 8.5 inches!)
Jeff