More Hummingbirds from visit with Alice

More Ruby Throated Hummingbirds from my visit with Alice in Deer Lodge, Tennessee. Alice has counted 10 at one time at the feeder. And I believe it. They were buzzing all around us, sometimes chases straight through the porch. Glad I didn't decide to stand up right at that moment.
She just has one feeder too. So it doesn't take more to get more Hummingbirds. If she has more than one they just go to the 2nd one when the first one is empty, they prefer this feeder. So she just uses the one feeder, and fills it every morning. She uses 5 lbs of sugar every week. Wonder if she put them on a diet when the bags changed to 4 lbs.

She said last year her count was way down, but back up this year. I have never seen a small number at her house, I think she has more than 10, that is just the number she has been able to count as they hover around this one feeder.

And we all prefer the ones without the feeders in the photograph, but they are harder to photograph that way too.

Then one out of my archives, from my feeders in 2007. This one was taken with my Fuji point and shoot, but it is still one of my all time favorites.

Hope you have enjoyed the Hummingbirds, it will probably be my only post this year of the Hummingbirds since I don't have feeders up. If you didn't see it, please look at the post below, it explains why I don't have feeders.

Purple Finch at Rockwood

Whoops...did it again. Was not ready for this to post. Took these photos, but was not sure what I had.

So I sent the first 4 photos to Hap from New Hope for help in the id.

Hap suggested I send the same photos to Cornell University.

I did and they answered me this afternoon that the bird is a Purple Finch.

I was so glad....another new one on my lifer list.

Here is the link I viewed before sending the photos.

I felt fairly confident about it being a Purple Finch but still was not sure.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/finchIDtable.html

Notice the Brown Headed Nuthatch is even trying to check out this new bird to 'his' feeder.

I never even thought I would hear back from Cornell,

so I am pretty excited about this really being a Purple Finch.

Brown Headed Nuthatch

I was so excited to see the Brown Headed Nuthatch

in the yard at Rockwood during the snow in January 2009.

But when he was still there in March I really was pleased.

I hope he decides to stay with us.

The reference books indicate Rockwood is just barely in his area.

The male and female look the same.

All 3 of these photos were taken March 9. Wednesday I went to Veterans Park in Spring City, and had another pleasant surprise, they were getting started building their nest in one of the box birdhouses. The box was a standard bluebird box, but higher off the ground than the bluebirds prefer. So yesterday I made another trip to Walmart for another new bluebird house. When I go back to Rockwood tomorrow we will be putting up the 2nd bluebird house this week. I will take either one that decides to use them.

House Sparrow at the feeder

This feeder is at our home, not in Rockwood. It is for the cheap seeds. It is there for when I don't get the good stuff out to them. I rarely see birds at this feeder, because when I am home I give them the good stuff. Maybe I need to take this feeder to Rockwood so I can save a little on the seed that is going so fast.

Pine Siskin and Goldfinch

While the rest of East Tennessee was getting excited about snow I was getting excited about the birds in the backyard. As you can see from these photos, the snow was beginning to melt anyway.I knew as soon as this bird flew to the feeder it was one I had never seen.

Almost as quickly, I knew that it was a Pine Siskin.

Notice how they helped me see the differences between them.

It was like they were showing me on purpose.

I would like to say I was in my photographer's blind, but I was in the comfort of the house. I hung out at the bathroom window for longer than I want to admit. These were at our house in Rockwood. I knew Betsy was up on the mountain getting all excited about the snow, because if it was snowing in the valley below the Cumberland Plateau I knew it was snowing on the plateau, as she fondly calls it, the Glade.

I am off to a photography assignment job this morning, then to my real paying job this afternoon, so I hope the roads are clear.

Wintertime American Goldfinch

These photographs of the American Goldfinch were taken from my new 'blind' I got for Christmas. The blind I received is actually a hunter's blind, but my hubby could not find a photographer's blind.

These photographs have not been cropped at all.

I love the blind, I sure am glad I got it for Christmas. I just set it up on my deck and crawled in. The Goldfinch first had to check it out, and at one point I was afraid he was going to join me on the inside, but then he flew on over to enjoy his meal.

Happy New Year's everybody!!!!

More Goldfinch on the back deck

Notice in the first photo of these Goldfinches the bird in the back appears to have 3 parts to his bill. Caught him right as he grabbed up a seed. Monday I posted Eastern Bluebirds, one photo showed the Bluebird at the frozen birdbath. The blue dish is what I put water in when all of the birdbath's water are frozen.

When the water in this dish freezes I just dump it out and fill again.

Goldfinch on the back deck

The Goldfinch came for a visit earlier in the week.

The last one has a House Finch visiting with the Goldfinch.