Possibly a Yellow-throated Warbler

I think this is a Yellow-throated Warbler but that is just a guess on my part.  I saw this tiny white yellow and black bird in my next-door neighbor’s front yard yesterday.  The bird was flitting around in a large Live Oak with a few Carolina Wrens, and Tufted Titmice.  The birds seemed to be moving from tree to tree all down the street here.  These are visiting birds.  Yesterday I saw more kinds of birds here on my street than I had seen in the last month.

I think that some birds are moving to their Winter areas and are passing through.  If this bird is a Yellow-throated Warbler, it eats spiders and small insects.  I wish I could have taken more pictures of the bird but it quickly flew into the crown of the tree and off to a different area.  I took these pictures from my driveway on August 25, 2013.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

A Look at Some Woodpeckers

Red-headed Woodpeckers and a Pileated Woodpecker were the focus of my picture-taking efforts on several days in the last couple of months.  I took the photographs of the Red-headed Woodpeckers at a small pasture area where there are lots of dead standing Pine Trees.  That pasture is very close to the entrance to the development where I live.  These tall dead trees provide the woodpeckers a place to live and also sometimes have many insects that the birds eat.

The Young Pileated Woodpecker was spotted in my own front yard.  That was the only time I have seen a Pileated Woodpecker here in Florida in the few months I have made my hone here in Marion County, Florida.   I had also seen a Downy Woodpecker here in my front yard once, and that was back in March.  Sorry to say, I missed getting a picture of that particular bird here.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  I hope you’ll enjoy these pictures.   I really love spotting and photographing  my favorite birds, the Woodpeckers!

An Eastern Towhee

This Eastern Towhee was perched in a low native shrub just off the roadway.  It was partially obscured by tall grass.  This bird was likely trying to find some tasty seeds to eat.  The Towhee was seen in the same area near where I spotted the colony of Red-headed Woodpeckers.

Eastern Towhees are black, brown, orange, and white.  The females have more brown than black.  These birds have either dark yellow or orange eyes.   The Eastern Towhees largely eat fruit, nuts and seeds but will also eat insects once in a while.  I took these pictures on June 2, 2013 along a roadway just outside of the development here where I now live.  The day was cloudy and I took the photographs late in the afternoon.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

Blue Skies and Blue Jays

There are two types of Blue Jays found here in Florida.  One is the Eastern Blue Jay and the other is the Scrub Jay.  So far, I have only seen the Eastern Blue Jays here where I live.

A new pair of Blue Jays has recently been seen flitting about in the leaves of the Oaks, and grabbing the tiny caterpillars around the acorns and leaves.   The Jays also often will walk around on the ground searching for food.  Eastern Blue Jays eat insects, berries and fruits and seeds.

I recently took pictures of an Eastern Blue Jay in a small forested area on the ranch adjoining this housing development (and owned by the developer here).  I took those pictures from the roadway area on May 17, 2013.   The rest of the pictures were taken from my front yard here at the house on May 25, 2013.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

Another Almost Wordless Wednesday

Mockingbird

Tufted Titmouse

Northern Cardinal Male

Grey Squirrel and Common Crow

I took these pictures in my community in the last two weeks.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

Red-Eared Sliding Turtle

Cattle Egrets with Brahman Steer

Woodpecker in Charge

This Red-bellied Woodpecker is now in residence here in the yard.  It is definitely the “Boss” among the songbirds in the yard.  When the Red-headed Woodpecker family migrated South for the Winter, the Red-bellied Woodpeckers moved in.  The small flock of Red-bellied Woodpeckers has been in the area all Summer.  They had lived in the Oaks along the street end of the property near the gulch.  Now, they have prime real estate in fine Oaks next to the pond and yes, very close to the bird feeder.  I took these pictures in my yard on Nov. 2, 2012.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

Titmice at the Feeder

Tufted Titmice are here in the yard in a big way.  The flock of Tufted Titmice is not a large one but the grey, buff, Apricot and black birds are not shy about coming to the bird feeder several times a day.  Sometimes there will be four or five at a time vying for space on the feeder.  One will sit on the porch railing acting as a look-out while the others take turns getting the Millet or Black Oil Sunflower Seeds.  They also occasionally find an insect or two on the porch or in the grass next to the house.

These are intelligent cute birds with their large eyes and top-knot crest. Yesterday this bunch of Titmice had to look out for a visiting house cat that was interested in all the birds hanging out around the feeder.  Lucky for the birds, the cat was too afraid to approach the house and quickly left the area.   Both cats and dogs occasionally just show up and stroll around the yard..  The dogs and cats just go back home to their own yards after a while.  I took these pictures in my yard yesterday, Nov. 1, 2012.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

An Eastern Bluebird Sitting Pretty

I took these pictures of an Eastern Bluebird sitting on the electric line next to my house on October 17, 2012.  We still have a flock of Eastern Bluebirds here in spite of the fact that most of the leaves are now off of the trees.  These insect-eaters have been swooping around the yard catching all manner of small gnats and bugs in the  air and on the grass.  They also keep the flies in check which is important since there is a herd of cattle just across the pond.  These are useful, very beautiful birds and I am glad they are here!  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

Titmice

There are Tufted Titmice in my yard and boy oh boy are they entertaining little birds.  They are flitting around the porch and some even have flown quite close to me when I was walking up my front steps!  Mostly they are sociable and not terribly wary of people.  The small grey birds have huge personalities and musical whistle songs.  The birds eat several types of insects and lots of different kind of seeds, nuts and fruits.  I know that they love the Black Oil Sunflower Seeds.  They will often sit on the porch railing and crack open the Sunflower Seed shells.  I took these pictures in my yard on October 22, 2012.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger photo.  Enjoy!

Birds at the Feeder Yesterday

There were Tufted Titmice, Carolina Chickadees, House Finches, White-breasted Nuthatches, a male Northern Cardinal, and even my old friend the Red-bellied Woodpecker.  Everyone but the woodpecker seemed quite comfortable and knowledgeable about how a bird seed feeder works.  The woodpecker just picked up Black Oil Sunflower seeds off of the feeder’s bottom tray.  Not as skilled at getting seed out of the tube as his cousin the Red-headed Woodpecker.

The Red-headed Woodpeckers have already migrated South for the Winter but I think the Red-bellied Woodpecker will stick around all Winter long.  I sure hope so.  The little birds are quite fun to watch and often will gather and impatiently wait for their turn at the feeder.  Of course, the feeder space clears out quickly when the woodpecker arrived.  It is “Boss” here!  Ha!  I took these pictures on October 22, 2012 from my yard and my living room window (Cardinal shot).  By the way,  that green background is the large lawn in back of the feeder in those shots.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Carolina Chickadee and House Finch

Male House Finch

Tufted Titmouse and Carolina Chickadee

Male Northern Cardinal