Camera Critter #83

Most days when I open my door and go outside, I scare up a number of birds. They hang around the feeders hanging in the Apple Tree in the back yard.

And everyday I think, I should photograph some of these birds if I can get them to come around while I am waiting for them.

Friday afternoon, after the rain cleared the area and the sun came out, I grabbed my camera and did what I have been doing for an hour a day for the past five days...I sat down on the bench and waited.

Birds would fly to the tree, see me and zip off somewhere else...until Friday. Instead, they landed in the tree, slowly drifted down to the feeders and began feeding. Some dropped to the ground. But none of the birds spooked when I would lift my camera.

Though the light wasn't great, I was able to get a few shots of some of the birds. There were a nice variety of birds, from jays to a towhee to sparrows. And then there were the finches. The most common finch I see at the feeders is the Lesser Goldfinch. There are American Goldfinches which stop by, but by far the most common is the Lesser Goldfinch.

The finch below is a first year male, sometimes referred to as a "green-back." Males of this species have a green back. However, there are black backed finches which occur in south Texas for the most part.


Another first year bird visiting the feeders was a first year White-crowned Sparrow. This species winters in my area, and spends its summers in the higher elevations. I'll see these birds throughout the winter and then in late spring, they will disappear until late October.

Along with sparrows, the Dark-eyed Juncos also arrive. Known as "Snow birds," they too spend their summers in the higher elevations. However, I wasn't able to get a shot of one of them. They may take a little longer to get used to me.

Misty Dawn's Camera Critter Meme is a great way to see critters of all types. Go to the Meme homepage here and check out more entries. Then join the fun and let the world see your critters!