Breakfast for the Birds

On weekend mornings, I find it very relaxing to sip my coffee while looking out our bay window at the birds enjoying their breakfast.

Some people don't like blue jays because they can be aggressive and may scare other birds away. Since blue is my favorite color, I admire their brightness and don't mind them being around at all.

Everyone seems to love cardinals, especially in the winter when their red color stands out against the white background of snow. Here is a female above and a male below sharing the feeder with a goldfinch.

Below, slate colored juncos are content to peck at the seeds that have dropped on the ground.

Below, a junco has decided that the feeder has more to offer, and the cardinal agrees. For the most part the birds are all polite, sharing the feeder or waiting their turn.

For the most part the birds are all polite, sharing the feeder or waiting their turn.

A chickadee waits on top of the pole for the junco to finish (left) and a tree sparrow shares the feeder with a cardinal and chickadee (right.)

I always make sure to have suet in the winter. The woodpeckers love it. On the left is a female downy woodpecker. On the right and below is a red-bellied woodpecker. Its name seems odd to me since its reddish-orange head is most prominent and its belly is yellow.

Below, a tufted titmouse samples some black oil sunflower seeds. I like this feeder, but it really isn't suitable in winter, without some sort of cover since it easily fills with snow and ice.

Finally, the last birds to arrive are the turkeys. They seem to know when the other birds are done. They will scratch at the snow to find whatever may have been spilled by he other birds.