Backyard Birds

It is a busy life for the backyard birds. There's quite a bit of tension and drama as well.

Like, when a female house-finch parks herself on the cedar feeder and refuses to budge. The little chickadees and  goldfinches flit close to the feeder hoping to land but are thwarted, again and again. The female house-finch has no intention of giving up her vantage spot at the feeder.

That is, until a squirrel comes along. He hangs upside down and takes as much as he can from the feeder.

By now, our outdoor cat is on the prowl, so, the squirrel darts off. The feeder is high enough up and on a thin branch out of reach for the cat so the birds ignore him. While the cat is a fantastic climber, he is also a bit lazy to make the effort - he gets fed cat food, so he doesn't need to hunt for food.

Now the parade starts in full swing. The nuthatches and chickadees and goldfinches and house finches and juncos come and go almost like a choreographed performance, waiting their turn and pecking at the seeds in the feeder.

Meanwhile, the starlings and sapsuckers pick at the suet in the suet feeder elbowing out the tiny flock of bushtit who gather at the other suet feeder.

And a lonely mourning dove looks on.

Sitting on the small covered deck, sipping my coffee, my camera at the ready, it is a wonderful treat to peek into the drama unfolding among these gorgeous birds.