One of my favorite pastimes

     

Above:   This bold little Warbler sat long enough for me to snap this photo right on my balcony

One of my favorite past times is bird watching... When I lived in Michigan I attracted several birds to my feeders...The Red Cardinal, Gold and Purple finches, Blue Jays, Chickadee's and even the common House sparrow  although... A pain in the butt! was a source of entertainment.

House Sparrows and a male Red Cardinal

 My  Weigela shrub attracted the same nesting cardinal pair three or more years in a row.. I would watch and worry about their babies as they flew from their nest,  and  now open to prey like our neighboring cats...

 later on..... I learned to hand feed Chicadee's with my nieces,  if you missed that blog click here for the link  http://vetsysview.blogspot.com/2010/08/birds-and-butterfly.html

I enjoyed  feeding the birds but in 2011 I ran out of steam...feeding birds became an expensive endeavor and a  big chore! The cheaper the seed the bigger the mess!  I later purchased  bird seed mixes that included  the kernels only... It cut down on the mess!..... but cost a lot more!

Above: A photo I took in 2011... Sunflower seed hulls carpet the grass below my bird feeder.. The sparrows would consume a pound of birdseed in a single day!   UUUGGG!

 
You can see why I thought that feeding birds was more trouble than it's worth.... When I move south the only specie I would bother to attract is the hummingbird.... It cost less and no seeds are involved... ''sigh"

But one morning here in my new state of South Carolina.. I opened  my balcony door and heard a familiar sound... "Chik a.dee..dee..dee..dee...

Above: Instead of throwing out my Christmas tree, I  decided to use it as a perch for the birds.. This little Chicka-dee fell in love with it..

A big smile came to my face as I sat and listened .. dare I go back on my word?  I dared myself and did. Off I went to the store to purchase birdseed,  I can't just sit and listen to the chirps and the songs of birds, I have to see them as well.......

Above:  Plants and bird feeders share space on my small balcony...So far I have attracted  more than 10 species of bird, some are regular visitors while others are just passing through.. 

 The Carolina Wren feeds upside down on a bird seed bell..

Above: A male cardinal spies out the bird feeders

Above : A Downy Woodpecker which is the smallest and I think, is the curtest of all the other species of woodpeckers

Above:  A  pair of Purple finches eat from a plate.......

  A Gold finch...

I believe this large robin like bird is a Wood thrush but I'm not certain... the photo isn't very clear because I'm trying to take pictures through my balcony door..

Below: A Cat bird feeds from a feeder I made from a flower pot.....

I have just learned that like the Mockingbird.. the Cat bird too, can mimic many other species of bird... I was fascinated by a Youtube video uploaded by Greg Budney..and decided to share it on my post...
Credits: Greg Budney and the Lab of Ornithology

Uploaded on May 6, 2010   

A remarkable Gray Catbird mimics dozens of bird species (and a frog too!) in northern California. Listen as Greg Budney, audio curator at the Macaulay Library, dissects the recording and notes each snippet of mimicked song.

Thank you for stopping by.... Do you have a favorite bird?