First photos of Yellow Head black birds

This is the first photo I have ever been able to obtain of a yellow headed blackbird. Fortunately I was able to capture two in one of our spruce trees. This is the first I have ever seen them come to the feeder. I guess there is not much to eat in the sloughs at the moment. The yellow heads are much less common than the red-wings.

Mourning dove this morning.

This morning I was up early and I could hear the plaintive coo of a mourning dove as I sat at my computer. The sound is quite haunting. At the same time I could hear the much more cheerful robin chirps also.

A lone brown thrasher..

I took this photo of the thraser through the window and between ornaments on the windowsill as the bird was almost directly under the window. I usually only see a thrasher once or twice a year. I was lucky to get a photo of any kind!

Two starlings visit.

This is a photo of a juvenile starling. The adults are quite a bit darker. Two of them probably a pair visited the feeder early this morning but fed underneath the feeder picking up sunflower seeds from the ground. They visit occasionally. Right now there are oodles of pine siskins. They can empty the feeder in a day.

Feeding the Crows..

I have an old plate in the middle of the front yard that I place chicken and fish bones and food scraps on. Usually the remains are quickly snatched by local crows although upon occasion a stray cat or dog may manage to get at the scraps first.

I have a fondness for crows a fondness not shared by most locals who dislike their noisy squawks. I like to watch them. They are usually wary when they approach the food but sometimes they just dash in and off with whatever they can carry. There usually do not eat at the scene but carry the food away to be eaten at some supposedly safer location.

Juncos Still abound..

There are still many juncos here. I imagine that they will be moving north one day soon. At present, the feeder is overrun with birds: pine siskins, purple finches, juncos, and the odd chickadee. Redpolls seem to have disappeared for the most part.

White crowned sparrows return...

The first white-crowned sparrow of the year has appeared at the feeder. There was one lone sparrow among crowds of male and female purple finches, pine siskins and slate coloured juncos. The poor black capped chickadees dart in to feed and find no room! The siskins in particular are quite scrappy and intolerant of other birds at the feeder platform.