At the feeders

The past couple of weeks have been great for bird watching. It really is the best time of year to keep an eye on the feeders, as the migratory birds make their way through. Most of the year we fill the feeders once a week, but this time of the year it's about every two days. They are a hungry bunch and you only get to see them if you have food.

Last weekend there was a goldfinch party goin' on. At one point I lost count after I hit 50 goldfinches, most of them on the ground. When something would scare them they would fly away in one huge flock. It was gorgeous.

Mother Nature always knows the best color combinations, which I think why the indigo buntings come around with the goldfinches. We have two males and one female indigo bunting hanging around. The colors are just amazing. Bright, bright yellow and then out of nowhere, brilliant royal blue.

Also hanging out at the feeders are the eastern towhees and the rosebreasted grosbeaks. The males are striking with their red-stained chests, but the pattern of the feathers on the far less showy females is equally interesting.

With the indigo buntings and grosbeaks around, the orioles were not far behind. We dutifully put out oranges and it didn't take long to have two males and a female come hang out. (Of course, the males seem to disappear anytime I have a camera handy so the less brilliantly colored females end up in most of the photos. I'm OK with it ... I'd love to make those ladies feel at home enough to build a nest in our yard.) We may also be lucky enough to see a scarlet tananger or two as we have in past years.