BIRDS OF A FEATHER

This little mini album is one that I've worked on for quite some time, as I would get the pictures that I used. All of the photos were taken from our kitchen windows from January thru June, 2011. Since I retired two years ago, I have had more time to develop a small area where we can feed and enjoy watching the birds who visit our yard. What a treat it is to see our little feathered friends enjoy the bird seed that we provide for them! Most of our little avian friends are shy and I have to be very patient in order to get just one picture! There have been some days when I have placed a blanket on the floor and I sat there waiting to get a good photo! This little album probably should be titled, "Two Loves" because it combines my love of birds and my love of scrapbooking! 

One of our biggest surprises was the  beautiful  female Red Bellied Woodpecker who frequented our suet feeder during the winter! Our second surprise was discovering that we had two species of woodpeckers! On the page below, can be seen the a female Hairy Woodpecker. 

I have spent hours and hours researching the birds that have delighted us this year.  My  wonderful husband gave me a book called, Birds of Texas by Keith A. Arnold and Gregory Kennedy. I have also used a website called "All About Birds" and is created by the staff of The Cornell Lab of Orinthology, Cornell University. Both of these sources have helped me tremendously in my bird studies. Here's the website for "All About Birds":

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/search

It took five months for me to get a picture of a Carolina Chickadee! They are delightful little birds who flit from place to place with such dexterity that their flight is similar to dive bombers! You have to be REALLY FAST and have a fast camera to get a good picture of one of these sweet little creatures! 

We had a very large flock of doves this year, and have actually counted up to ten at a time feeding  outside our kitchen window!  These two doves are always together. The one on the left is a White Winged Dove and the one on the right is a Mourning Dove. The  White Winged Doves have been rapidly expanding their territory into the northern areas of Texas. 

This is one of our many Blue Jays that come to our feeding area daily. 

This is one of the male Cardinals that came to our yard over the winter. There were a total of three males and three females! Only one of the couples is still using our feeding area. He is very watchful over his mate. Whenever there is a person in the back yard you can hear him giving a little warning sound and they both fly away. In the spring we could sit very quietly on our patio and they would sometimes get accustomed to our presence, allowing us to watch them fly from one tree to another.  

The journaling reads, "All birdies are welcome at our "nest!"

These little Juncos were "frequent fliers" in our yard throughout the winter, but when summer came, they didn't return. 

What is this squirrel doing stealing birdseed?!!!! Doesn't he know it's "for the birds"? He and two other squirrels have kept us entertained since we started feeding the birds. 

Most of the scrapbooking supplies used in this mini album can be purchased at The Crafty Scrapper in Waxahachie, Texas.