Birds of a Feather

Now that winter is near I think most of the summer birds have left for warmer climates. I've noticed only a faithful few at the bird feeders. There's a group of chickadees that you can always count on to be here. It's an integrated group: black-capped and chestnut-backed chickadees and an occassional mountain chickadee (like the Eastern ones but with a white eyebrow). I don't say flock of chickadees, because I think these are just the same seven or eight birds that come to the feeder. There is one male red-breasted nuthatch that hangs out with the chickadees. They're called red-breasted, but they're really a buffy yellow color. This one has gotten darker chest feathers as winter has approached. They all look like a Christmas card!

There's also a pair of Stellar Jays. These are about twice as big as the Blue Jays in Ohio. They are dark, dark blue with black blue heads and the blue jay crest. They are wicked birds - very territorial and sound like high-pitched crows when they call. Still, I like to watch them. They let me know when a strange bird is around.

And because the Jays were off busy chasing hawks the other day, I got to see my very first ever red-breasted sapsucker. It is a robin sized woodpecker with a totally red head and chest. This one had black wings with just a thin white streak down his side, and his beak was yellow (not black like in the books). He was out on one of the back apple trees that I can see from my window. I've looked for woodpeckers back there often because this tree and one other are covered in little holes that look like someone took a paper puncher and punched a zillion evenly spaced, uniformly sized holes all up and down the trunk. I've been told these trees are over 100 years old. It's really strange to look at this tree up close. And the bird was such a beautiful red. I miss cardinals! Nothing like them out here!