This is the first of many creative, informative and hopefully somewhat humorous blog entries on my life of birding here in Orlando, Florida. Living in Florida allows me to bird pretty much year round, (save a few weeks now and then, when the threat of a random hurricane looms on the horizon). The apartment in which we live has a fresh water stream running behind it, helped by, (and created mostly from), rain runoff from the road that runs from east to west in front of the apartment complex). The copse of pine and oak trees, along with some dense undergrowth that dots the area around the stream is a virtual haven for many birds. Some live here year round, but there are also many migratory visitors. To date I have documented 26 different birds that visit my two platform feeders. There are also a handful of birds that visit the area, but for one reason or another do not frequent the feeders. This blog was created to encapsulate their lives and mine.
I will, as time goes on, attempt to photograph and therefore document via digital image, the birds that visit my feeders. I will also attempt to intersperse various facts about our avian friends, while at the same time keeping you, the reader, glued to your seats, reading with various degrees of anticipation. Note: If this doesn't happen, then I would clearly take an introspective look at myself, because the problem can't possibly be my writings! Or could it??????
Regardless, here is the first photographic blog entry of one of our daily feeder visitors. This is a Northern Cardinal and he and his lovely wife, ( I tend to anthropomorphize them a lot), have visited the feeder daily for many years now, (though I can't be 100% certain that they are the same pair but I'd certainly likek to think so), and often pose for me when I am out there doing my photographic documentation. Over many years I have noticed that they are very territorial and get very, very annoyed if another pair of Northern Cardinals encroach on their territory. In fact, today Mr. Cardinal was busy most of the morning chasing another male back and forth through the underbrush in what was clearly an attempt to get him and his wife to leave. It didn't seem to work however, because eventually they are sitting very close to one another on different trees, eyeing the bird feeders and taking turns eating the striped sunflower seeds that I left there for them.
For the benefit of any new readers, here is a list of the ingredients that make up my special blend of bird seed. Some of the entries are standard, but some are very peculiar, in that they wouldn't perhaps be thought of as something an avian creature would consume. As I said, this list is mine and mine alone. I know of no one else that makes this specific blend of seeds and fruits:
1) black striped sunflower seeds (large)
2) black sunflower seeds (small)
3) millet
4) sunflower chips
5) peanuts
6) shredded coconut
7) niger (thistle)
8) *miscellaneous fruits, (blueberries, cranberries and raisins), grains, (flax) and sometimes bread crumbs.
This blend seems to work best for us. As I said previously, 26 different visitors seem to relish their morning and afternoon feasts.
Here is the current list of our avian feeder visitors. Please note that some only come once in a while, some come seasonally and others are daily visitors, but they've all at one time or another stopped by one of our two platform feeders for a bite to eat:
1) Northern Cardinal
2) Brown Thrasher
3) Carolina Wren
4) Blue Jay
5) Gray Catbird
6) Greater Mockingbird
7) Red Bellied Woodpecker
8) Downy Woodpecker
9) Painted Bunting
10) Pine Warbler
11) Red Winged Blackbird
12) Common Grackle
13) Boat Tailed Grackle
14) Fish Crow
15) American Crow
16) Blue Gray Gnatcatcher
17) House Finch
18) Mourning Dove
19) Red Shouldered Hawk
20) Tufted Titmouse
21) Eastern Kingbird
22) White Winged Dove
23) Eurasian Collared Dove
24) American Goldfinch
25) Palm Warbler
26) Brewer's Blackbird
Some of our 'area' visitors are:
1) Great Horned Owl
2) Pileated Woodpecker
3) Sharp Shinned Hawk
4) Bald Eagle
5) Great Blue Heron
6) Yellow Crowned Night Heron
7) Black Throated Blue Warbler
8) Black & White Warbler
9) Ruby Throated Hummingbird
10) Carolina Chickadee
So you can see that my location is ideal for doing what I love. I will continue to update this blog. Feel free to comment, criticize, and question my entries. I will make all attempts to keep this updated regularly and make it fun to read. Thanks for stopping by...
We arrived in Melbourne at the Viera Wetlands, (known officially as "Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands at Viera), around 10:00am. The weather was absolutely perfect and as expected, the birds were everywhere. Within seconds upon entering the gates there were more birds than one could imagine and a photo opportunity in every direction. At a time like this a photographer has to make a decision; do you search for specific subjects and dedicate your time to finding them or do you just take as many pictures as possible and sort it out later? I opted for the latter.
