Sunday, March 9, 2008

GOOD BIRDING!



Today was a good birding day! The weather was still pretty cool for early March in Texas, hovering around 60ish degrees and partly sunny, but not too cold for more outdoor adventures and some good birding! The first exciting pictures are of a PINE SISKIN, a cute little member of the finch family that is a newcomer this year at our bird feeders. A small flock (around 8-12 of them) has been hanging around the cedar trees and eating at the feeders on a daily basis for the last few months or so. They are friendly, talkative birds but somewhat skittish and it has been hard to get a good picture of them. I finally got one to sit still for a photo today, so here you go!





















Also. several weeks back I was lucky enough to get some good sized flocks of CEDAR WAXWINGS hanging out in Post Oak and Live Oak trees near my feeders. They seem to like it around here this year and so far they have stayed for several weeks now. I have counted sometimes 25-40 at one time! If you have never seen a Cedar Waxwing they are absolutely gorgeous! They are a grayish colored bird with a striking black mask around their eyes, a yellow tipped tail, and yellow and red streaks along the bottom side of their wings that can be seen when they are roosting. They also have a tuft at the top of their head which is very distinguishable. These pictures were taken at the end of the day and from below the Post Oak tree where they were roosting, so it is difficult to see their unique coloration. But trust me, they are spectacular looking birds! Enjoy!