New Visitors

On this rainy day a new bird arrived at our backyard feeder ~ the rose-breasted grosbeak you see in the photograph above ~ a very pretty bird with striking black and white plumage and a bright, rosy red breast, living up to its given name.  Even though they still visit, the titmice, chickadees, and juncos, our most frequent winter visitors, have lessened in number at the feeder. Now, we see mostly goldfinches, both the showy yellow, black and white males and the dowdier, olive-toned females.  Flocks of them arrive every day to gorge on the sunflower seeds.

 

Three males and a lone female goldfinch eye the feeder above them for more sunflower seeds to rain down.  We've seen as many as six males at a time seated on the feeder with even more below them, like the ones you see here anxiously awaiting the seeds that are pushed out in the feeding frenzy.

 

Our backyard and the woods beyond provide endless opportunities to observe the local wildlife which makes our home here in the mountains such a haven!