So... I get all excited because I have one band tailed pigeon. Can you say "green birder"? Wowza! Diligently I fill my feeders, adoring all my little feathered friends arriving for a meal, and the pigeons too.

Weeks later, I'm elated, I have two BTPs! Isn't that cute!!! A couple of months pass, and the next thing I know, there's five - quaint, and soon, there were six - you know, there's always a friend hiding in the bushes.

Today takes the cake, though. I HAD SIXTEEN in my yard. HOLY COW! They were feeding (five of them) on the "funny weeds under the bird feeder" as my husband said. (Those funny weeds are sunflower sprouts... obviously my true love is not of the gardening gene...) Five were standing in the rain, in the driveway, doing nothing, along with the female duck that comes with her handsome hubby each day to eat the rolled corn I put out for them... And last but not least - there were six more pigeons trying to balance on my feeder, reminiscent of a clown car at a circus, or sea lions trying to balance on a floating pier. Quite funny! Unfortunately, i was on conference calls and unable to get any pics of that flock! I was stunned. Did someone say these birds were shy??? HA! Better yet, the squirrel, who has ZERO patience, grew tired of waiting for space to free up at the feeder. He jumped from the limb, smack into the group of pigeons on the feeder, and pigeons went flying EVERYWHERE!!!!! The squirrel sat quietly, looking very pleased with himself, nibbling on goodies.

My dove numbers are growing. I'm up to anywhere from two to twelve. They're quite happy to sit in the Hemlock outside my window while I take photos through the glass. I'm now buying bird seed at Costco... 16.97 for 40#.

The "little" birds are eating like termites! These guys eat like lumberjacks, I let their size fool me.. Little did I know the voracious appetites they posess! LOL I put almost a pound in their feeder daily - these are the finches, chickadees and nuthatches.

The woodpeckers are well mannered, as usual. They've reached the point where they obviously don't care if I"m on the porch or not... suet comes first. :O) Some young grackals have found the suet post, much to my dismay. I have about five crows that show up for 1/2 hour here/there, and then they're off to commit pranks elsewhere. My humming birds are emptying three feeders about every four days (I have only counted four hummers, one male Annas, one male and two female Roufus). I have been quite interested in my Goldfinch's markings... One has a yellow head, with a jagged black line - much like Madeline Kahn in Mel Brook's Young Frankenstein. Then I have another with a lovely black cap, and a bright yellow eyebrow... Funny how you learn your little visitors by their individual markings!

Here's a link to a shot of four pigeons trying to hang out on my feeder, and my strangely marked goldfinches (and other friends): http://www.pbase.com/neens_wa/bird_watching&page=1

Cheers from the work at home office, where birding is not terribly spectacular, but still loads of fun!
nina

Bremerton

neens at wavecable dot com