Mystery Bird

Can you help me identify this bird? I did not have any luck with my Michigan Bird Field Guide. Thank you!

What do you think he's doing?

Hmm...Mr. Chipmunk is not going to be able to talk his way out of this!!

Birds in the backyard

Bird activity was a little slow in the backyard today but I managed to capture a few photos.

This cardinal was eating peanut scraps off the table I used to fill my bird feeders. I loved how he was tilting his head - almost like he wanted to make sure he didn't miss a crumb.








The Mourning Dove babies just don't stop. They keep on coming....

Birds at the lake

I love watching birds at the lake. They are socializing, nesting or engaging in antics that I wish to capture on my camera.

Who is the bird with this Redwing??

Female Redwing grooming her feathers.

Male Redwing fluffing out his tail feathers.

You have to love the baby geese!

I'm a Loon Ranger!

I would like to introduce you to my new little friends I will be watching over "officially" in my new capacity as a Loon Ranger. As some of you may already know, I am just crazy about the Loons (no pun intended) and I worry about their decreasing population, especially in Michigan. So I got to thinking how I could help and thought about the returning Loon pair that is on a bordering lake to our log cabin. Next thing you know - I'm contacting the Michigan Loonwatch and they assign me to the pair I've come to know and love. I'm reading over the manual and looking forward to reporting on their activities as well as tracking their progress a little more closely from my kayak. The pictures below are the first shots I have of their 2 babies (I was far away on shore unfortunately) - I hope to post better ones soon. I feel like a proud mom as well as a lioness who will defend and protect her cubs. Now I just need some names for them....

Goldfinch Friend

Can I tell you how much I love the goldfinch? I do! These photos were taken while I was sitting on the deck of our log cabin - not too far from this little guy. He was on the thistle feeder for close to 15 minutes but I think the best photos I captured of him on this day was when he was off the feeder. He seemed to glisten in the sun.

Waiting Grackle

This Grackle had his laser focus on one of my bird feeders. He was waiting on the mourning doves to vacate (fat chance!) Finally, I shooed the doves away so this guy could have his turn.

ANOTHER Mourning Dove baby!

Baby? What baby? I don't see another baby here!

Bob - did you have ANOTHER baby???

Ssh Mr. Finch! I think our bird feeding lady is starting to get suspicious!

Juvenile Robin on the loose

I thought this juvenile Robin was absolutely beautiful! He had a sibling that kept managing to stay out of my photos - but I'm glad he had company.

Mourning Dove Bully

Bob - my mourning dove bully - was trying to initimidate this little sparrow off one of my bird feeders. The sparrow was oblivious to him and happily munched his seeds. Nice try Bob!

Loon stalking continues

This weekend I went over to Glory Lake in Grayling, MI to see if the nesting pair of Loons had returned and sure enough they had. Unfortunately for me they spent most of their time on the other side of the lake so these pics aren't as good as the last Loon photos I took at Emerald Lake recently. But again - they are Loons and I love them!

Cardinal with an ego

I think I look pretty handsome today.




















I think this is my best side. What do you think?






















Oh please! Just go get me some sunflower seeds and quit messing around!

Sunning & eating

The Mourning Doves have taken over!

Let me tell you a true story about two Mourning Doves that have taken over my yard. Their names are Bob and Mary - and they may seem like ordinary birds with ordinary names...but do not be deceived. They own my yard.



Here we have them sitting on the telephone wire waiting for me to fill my bird feeders. They will sit there all day cooing - waiting for me to come out. They know I'm in the house...










They keep having babies to help their army grow stronger. They have had two broods so far this year. And they invited some friends to nest nearby as well.










They hog the birdbath and make the Robin mad. They defiantly poop in it because it's "their" birdbath and I'm just the person who cleans it.











They own the bird feeder too. They have a hard time with the two of them sitting in it at the same time so one will watch from the roof to make sure no else has a shot at "their" seeds.








A warning to all...they look like sweet little birds especially with their soft cooing...but make no mistake - they will own your yard!

Another Grosbeak photo

I just can't stop taking photos of the rose-breasted grosbeak. They just have such sweet faces - and I love their large beak. Their songs are so pretty - sometimes I think I'm hearing a Robin and then the grosbeak magically appears. The females that visit my feeder seem pretty unafraid of me.

Who lives here?

Last year the red-bellied woodpecker lived here. This year - I don't know yet. I'm monitoring the hole - it looks pretty big. An owl would be great.....

Dirty Birds

I think my birds are looking a little "rough" lately.

Case# 1 - doesn't this chickadee looked like someone "mussed" him up?





















Case #2 - My dirty Robin diving headfirst into the birdbath. At least he's cleaning himself off.

Drying off

"I'm just trying to dry off after my bird bath, do you mind?"

Is this a Pine Siskin?

There were 4 of these little guys dominating the thistle sock yesterday. They seemed pretty tame as I snapped their photos. I checked the Cornell site and I think they are Pine Siskins http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Pine_Siskin.html . What do you think?

A Loony Sunday

After my husband and our neighbor reported seeing loons on a small, no wake lake (Emerald Lake) nearby to our log cabin, I was racing out the door today with my camera bag. My friend and I paddled a canoe (well really she did most of the paddling)through every nook on the 50 acre lake until finally we saw the mating pair of Common Loons. Of course as soon as they saw us, they immediately dove underwater and swam at the speed of lightening ahead of us. Then they swam in opposite directions almost like they were trying to trick us. We circled the entire lake while I was trying to get a "few nice shots." I am just Loon crazy!