I heard the birds before I could see them. I grabbed my camera and went outside. They were flying from tree to tree and some on the bushes or in the grass. I saw male and female cardinals, white throated sparrows and dark-eyed juncos feeding on the ground. My neighbors have a bird feeder, I guess that is why they come round. I decided to find out a little about these birds, perhaps you too might find their information interesting. I am now considering getting one. They are so lovely to watch and photograph.
All these birds were photographed on Wednesday 1/13/2020. On Sunday 1/17/2020, I received a new visitor. A red shouldered Hawk! First time ever. Updating this blog to add his photo.
References Cardinal Facts, Dark-Eyed Junco, White-Throated Sparrow, Dark-Eyed Junco Facts , White-throated Sparrow, Animal Life Expectancy, Red Shouldered Hawk
Red Shouldered Hawk
Red shouldered hawks return to their same nesting spot year after year. One such birds occupied the same territory for 16 years!
The oldest known is a female who lived 25 years.
Dark-Eyed Junco
This bird is a medium size sparrow. It likes to feed off the ground. This is in fact where I took this photo. There were four of them on the ground. It thrives in the cold and travels to the south of the US in winter months. It is nicknamed snowbird. It comes in 5 varieties and it can live to be 11 years old.
White Throated Sparrow
White-throated sparrows have a colorful head with yellow spots between their eyes. They generally like to be on the ground or in bushes.
They eat seeds and insects. Both parents feed their babies. They tend to live 9.6 years on average.
Northern Cardinals
Cardinals are non migratory birds. They tend to live within a mile from where they were born and they can live up to 15 years. Since many homes provide bird feeders, they have started to thrive. I thought it was interesting that the male would feed the female beak to beak during courtship. They eat grains, seeds and insects such as beetles, crickets, moths. They also eat berries that help them keep their pigmentation. Isn’t that interesting? The males are bright red, the females are brown with red tinges.
Female Northern Cardinal
Male Northern Cardinal
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I love your photos of winter birds and the very interesting accompanied information. I had no idea cardinals lived up to 15 years! I enjoy your blog and your sense of wonder and adventure. Thank you for sharing God’s beauty in your photos and writings.(and your delicious recipes too, I’m making tabouli tomorrow!
Your comment makes my heart happy! Thank you so much. Very glad you are finding my blogs interesting. Let me know how your tabouli turns out. It’s my favorite dish !