How the Finch Stole My Heart

The birds have been putting on a colorful show, as well as a musical one lately. There is constant activity at the feeder, and the songs warm my heart from dawn to dusk.

Even the blue jay is learning to share a bit, sort of. It was hysterical watching him circle step by step with another small bird around and around the feeder tray. The little bird was playing hide and seek, always stepping just out of sight around the feeder tube, and managing to eat all the while. The blue jay seemed torn between wanting to act on bullying instinct and wanting to eat. I was mesmerized by the scene and forgot to take a picture of the pair of them, unfortunately. But here’s one of the blue jay.

I don’t think I ever knew how bright blue the ring around the eye of a white-winged dove can be.

The cardinals are almost always willing to share. They like to chirp at me while I’m nearby, but they don’t seem too worried and just keep eating in between chirps. Here’s a picture with a companion — from a distance I thought she was a house finch, but close-up I don’t think so. Any bird watchers able to ID her?

 

 
 
Today while taking pictures I saw a mockingbird giving chase to a cardinal. There must be a nest nearby. Again, the photographer was too mesmerized to get an action shot.

And the chickadees are all about the warning chirp, be it at me, other birds, cats, dogs, or the squirrels.

 
This afternoon we also enjoyed watching a young squirrel dangling by one foot off the dome of the tube feeder, stretching as far as possible to steal a bit of food from the opening. I tried to snap a picture, but he was young and more easily startled than the older squirrels around. The older ones know how to just sit on the tray and munch.

 
But the House Finches are the ones who have been winning my heart lately. They are here in quite a flock, and I hope to capture a picture with several on the feeder at once. Something keeps startling them while I’m off getting my camera.

But their songs are beautiful, and one even sang just a few feet above me today — a pretty song, not a warning chirp the way the chickadees and cardinals and titmice will sometimes do.

And like the cardinals, I typically see the male and females hanging out together.

Would you like to hear their song? Click their page at All About Birds and scroll down to “Typical Voice” and push play.

As for the bird seed I use, I mix my own seeds, rather than buy pre-mixed kinds that often have seeds I don’t want to provide, like millet. Plus it saves on cost. Here’s my little recipe:

Black Oil Sunflower Seeds

Safflower Seeds

Cracked Corn

Peanuts

Nyjer Thistle Seed

Dried cranberries, raisins, and other fruits (sometimes)

During the winter I put out suet, but the rest of the year I just have the seed feeders, including a thistle feeder, and, of course, the hummingbird feeders. And I’ll drop tomato hornworms and grubs in the feeder when I find them. So far they always disappear fast. Happy birdies!