Wednesday, March 18, 2009

What Could Be Prettier - Birds & Buds


The buds are bursting forth on our Maple tree and
as I was looking out my kitchen window at the birds
coming to the tree to feed from the feeders, I could not
help but notice how pretty the birds looked against the
buds on the tree.
So I grabbed my trusty camera to get some shots.
Not that I really need more pictures of birds as I have
so many but this was an opportunity to good to resist.
After I saw the pictures I knew it that taking a few more
had been surprisingly a good idea.



The Gold Finches are getting their Spring feathers
of bright yellow back.





The female Cardinal almost matches the colors of the
buds.



The male Cardinals are always gorgeous and stands
out against the buds in the background.



This Junco and another little Goldfinch are waiting for
their turn at the feeders.



The Robins came back about three weeks ago, another
sure sign of Spring. I have had a hard time getting a closeup
of them so far with nothing to hide behind and I guess I am
not a very good at sneaking up on them.




The Robins and Grackles love the torn up back yard
which I cannot stand to look at until it is raked and
grass sown. They like it though for getting the worms
and insects. The Grackles just came back last weekend.


I saw my first butterfly yesterday and ran to get the camera,
you guessed it, it was nowhere in sight by the time I got back
out the door.

So the signs of Spring are getting more prominent and more
beautiful.


14 comments:

Becca's Dirt said...

Love all the bird pics. I can identify only a few birds. The cardinals and robin are so pretty. Thank you for sharing your blog.

Cathy S. said...

Just amazing, love to watch birds of all sorts.
Nice photo shots!

Maria Berg said...

I saw a Lady bug today and I got it with my camera - have to show it one day. I am sorry you missed the butterfly but you will get one latter this year!

I am happy taht you did get the birds on photo - thank you for showing me them.
/MB

Anonymous said...

They really do go together ~ you have some beautiful shots Lona. I'm not that excited about the grackles coming back but everything else is good!

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

Great pictures. I can't wait to see the Goldfinches return here!

Barbarapc said...

Lona, lovely bird photos - the little finches are adorable. Looks like you're about 3 weeks ahead of us. So enjoy seeing how gardens are growing around the globe.

Anonymous said...

You saw a butterfly already? What kind? I can't wait for butterflies to return!

RURAL said...

You simply have the best bird pics of any blog that I know. What great shots.

Jen

Anonymous said...

You've got amazing photos and birds. I can hear goldfinches singing high in the trees. I love their song. Thank you for sharing.

Bren Haas said...

As always - wonderful garden friends you have. You truly have a gift for taking photos. Happy Gardening Dear friend.

Lona said...

Becca: Thanks for dropping by. I can not identify all the birds either and some really confuse me to identify but the common ones in our area I know some about.

Cathy: Thanks. I love to watch the birds too and more are coming back now.

Maria: Lady bugs or birds are a good thing for us gardeners. It is the Asian ones that I hate. Nasty little devils.

Catherine: I like to see the goldfinches change from their dull gray in winter back to their bright yellow.

Barbara: Your will be coming real soon now.It is wonderful to also hear the birds singing again after a quiet winter.

Robin: It was a black swallowtail. I was so excited and thought I was seeing things at first. Do not remember seeing one this early. Wish I would have gotten to the camera in time.

Jen: Thank you so much. I really appreciate the comment but your gorgeous photos are beyond compare.

Grace: Isn't it nice to hear the birds singing before the sun comes up now and all through the day.When it is so cold they are very quiet.

Bren: Thanks for dropping by gardening friend I am honored.

Unknown said...

Your bird photos are wonderful!! I have seen several butterflies and a couple of Hummingbirds, running around like a crazy woman trying to chase them with the camera. I told myself, "Self, stop rushing in a few weeks they will be everywhere."

Lona said...

Darla: LOL. I know where you are coming from.But aren't the first ones always exciting. I guess I will just have to wait. :)

Anonymous said...

The birds with the maple buds are very lovely. I love watching the birds at the feeders. And isn't it exciting when spring rolls around?

If you enjoy birds, my significant other, Bernie, does wildlife photography also. His blog is http://northwestnaturalmoments.blogspot.com