DAILY PICS, VOL. #54

That's awesome, Sybil!! I'd love to see one "in person" some day! They sure do a number on the trees, don't they?

Love your Downys, Nanny!

Wow you all! I am amazed with all the beautiful photography that is here. Absolutely beautiful, all of them! Tigerlilly, I wonder why your WBN's don't come to your feeder? The ones here are getting so used to me, I think one of these days I will be able to hand feed them. I have stood about 2 feet from the feeder and have had them come to it and eat. It is so neat seeing that.

While letting the chickens out and running the dogs this morning, I missed a nice flock of Canada geese flying overhead because I didn't take my camera with me. Darn! But I did finally ID the elusive birds that have been hanging out in my Cedars all winter. I thought they were Cedar Waxwings and I have never gotten a picture or even seen one of those, so I went back in and got my camera, determined to get a picture of one.

The way they fly and hide themselves, I had never seen them clearly enough. There are a lot of them too, maybe 3 dozen or more, living in those trees. Here is what I found.

ROBINS! I couldn't believe it! Here all this time I never knew I had a colony of Robins living with us. It's cold too, about 20 degrees. They fly back and forth between the trees and the rustling of their wings is loud.

Are they living off the Cedar berries? There are tons of berries on the trees. There are some really fat robins too. lol

This message was edited Jan 18, 2008 9:47 AM

CW, Do you have Cedar Waxwings too? They often fly along with Robins... or vise-versa.. I usually see six to a dozen Robins with the WWs.

debnes

I don't know Deb. All I could see were Robins. I have never seen a WW before. I stood out there and watched them for awhile, flying back and forth and hiding in the Cedar's, looking at me. I never saw any other kind of bird with all of them. But that's not saying they're not there. I just haven't seen them.

Until this winter, Robins were only (seen) here in the spring. A couple months ago they showed up by the many thousands, and hundreds of them are still here. I went out several mornings to see the ground just orange with them. Even when at the coast, I'd not seen them in such numbers before.

What are you doing back there?.........(Steller's Jay)

House Finch & Cardinal having a chat over breakfast.

A really poofed up House Finch!

How about some poofy Blue Jays?

Nice pics Nanny!!

CW & Tiger,
We had lots of baby Robins here last spring. (CWWs go back north then.) The resident Robins that have been here for many years had at least 2 broods. The babies would come to the feeder to eat the cherries with dad, then the babies would come alone. They had so much trouble trying to swallow the big cherries I popped them a turn in the processor into smaller bites. Then they could gobble the cherries down easy, and they did! Then dad could go about feeding the newer babies, which always chased them around with their mouths open........ So darn cute!!

Here are a few pics from July 07:

#2

Pappa and a babe

This Blue Jay was going for the long & lean look!

Love the Stellar's Adelbertcat!!

Great poofy birdies nanny!!


One more of a baby Robin, and I will move along...LOL!

Here's a new comer to the feeder this year. Haven't seen them for a fewf years here.
Evening Grosbeak

We are having snow here again today. Pictures don't come out to well.

another one.

another Mr handsome.

From the back.

Nice pics, burn! I've never seen that coloration before.

Gloomy day here, but managed to stay outside a while and get a few pics. Here are two red-bellied Woodpeckers at the suet feeder.

A couple of female Painted Buntings.

Indigo Bunting.

This fellow just flew in from Baltimore (Oriole).

2nd shot.

Resin, I appreciate all help, but those are actually Eastern Red Cedars we have. They are in the Juniper family, but really are Cedar's. Missouri is full of them. They are not the true "Juniper" tree though.

http://www.gpnc.org/eastern.htm

PS, we have both the male and female trees back there.

This message was edited Jan 18, 2008 1:12 PM

This message was edited Jan 18, 2008 1:15 PM

In this country every one refers to this as white cedar. Is it?

??

Wonderful pics everyone!

— Apologies to others for the diversion into trees ;-) —

Hi Creekwalker,

Eastern Red "Cedar" is actually a misnomer, it is a juniper (Juniperus virginiana). The only plants that should be called cedars are species of Cedrus (e.g. Cedrus libani, the one in my pic above, which is the cedar mentioned in the bible); cedars are confined to the Mediterranean region and the Himalaya.

Here are some I just took a few minutes ago. This little one has a regal hairpiece in the wind. lol

Too funny, Creekwalker!! I love that hairdo!!

No apologies needed Resin. In looking into this information for myself, I found that the birds love the berries. We've got tons of the Eastern "redcedar" on our place. I think I'll go cut some of the berry laden limbs this weekend and hang around my feeders to see if anyone is interested!
That's the best thing about DG, you can learn something new every day :-)

deb, your baby robin is very cute!

Gardenpom and burn I am sooo jealous of your birds.

LOL, CW that is wild!!

This message was edited Jan 18, 2008 2:38 PM

Hi Resin, thanks for all the research you have done.

Here, we call them Cedars. Here on Dave's Garden is an entry for the Eastern Red Cedar. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2359/ Is it in error?

I realize that the cedars I have are in the Juniper family, and that they are not true cedars, but they are officially called Red Cedars here, so I will keep calling them that. That's what everyone calls them here in Missouri. If I start calling them Junipers, everyone would think I'm a nut. :p

I really do appreciate what you are saying, and I believe you, but here, they are called Eastern Red Cedars.

Here she is again. She was kind of "humped back" looking the whole time she was out there. Do you think it was just the way she was sitting?

Thanks everyone

creekwalker;Funny hairdo, what an expression!!!

GPom Nice Oriole, I've only seen it once here. And didn't have a camera ready.

Kaperc, actually, these Evening Grosbeaks were much darker then the ones I've seen a few years ago here. They were more this color.