For example, after moving the peanut feeder to the deck, we have found that the squirrels are spending time closer to the house. I can now tell the difference between male and female squirrels. I pretty much pictured them all as male, but some of the most dominant and aggressive animals have turned out to be female.
Very occasionally a blue jay will fly over to the deck and peck at a peanut shell, but for the most part they are loving the new low waste feed in the gazebo feeder by the willow tree. (Although, with the blue jays around, it's not so much "low waste" anymore -- they toss their beaks through it looking specifically for peanuts and corn and the ground is littered with smaller seed.)
Ah well, being a good-looking bird lets them get away with a lot. Here is a glamour shot of one of the blue jays who visits the feeder.
There is also an interesting bird hanging around, one that I have never encountered close up before. I had my suspicions that it might not be a regular crow, but what do I know? So when my husband got a couple of photos of the large black bird by the deck, I got out the Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Central and Eastern North America and checked it out.
Sure enough, its wedge-shaped tail, heavy bill, large size and solitary habit lead me to believe this is a Common Raven (Corvus corax) and not an American Crow (Corvus brachyrhyncos).
All photos belong to kbgardenblog.blogspot.com and may not be used without attribution.
Here is another photo (large size version) that really captures the spirit of this bird.
17 comments:
We have a block of wood with a screw sticking up out of it affixed to our deck and onto the screww we put a cob of dried corn. the Blue Jays love it and come constantly often three or four at a time pecking the kernals off. It's great to watch, and the kids love having them eat with us...it's right outside the dining room door. I'll send you a picture if I can find one...
Alison, we have one of those feeders at the back of the garden. It attracts both squirrels and blue jays. I never thought of moving that one closer to the house. (Or getting another.)
What great photos! I love the one of the blue jay. We only have a few by our house right now. I think we have more cardinals than anything. What mix do you find attracts the most colorful birds?
Outstanding picture of the raven..birds books should have pictures that large and clear. Thanks
I have to admit again that your an expert with your camera. Your photos are so good that its always a great pleasure to visit your blog. I have always liked Crows, I dont know why. Maybe that black color makes them a little bit mysterious? Do you like them?
Why cant we have something like your blue Jays. It has spectacular colors! By the way....I remembered something...I have a Toronto blue Jays cap somewhere...now its nice to know that this bird really exists! Thanks dear Karen.
Beautiful! Beautiful!
Tracy, the blue jays like corn and peanuts, woodpeckers like suet, cardinals like black oil sunflower seeds, in the summer the goldfinches like thistle (nyjer) seed. Be aware that peanuts, corn, and black oil sunflower will also attract squirrels, so if you don't want them you'd better invest in feeders with squirrel baffles.
Sharon, I get frustrated with bird books too. Birds of prey are especially difficult to identify, I find.
Maria, every time I see a Blue Jay I think of our baseball team. I cannot take credit for these photos. They were taken by my husband. ;-)
Sonia, thank you.
Just wanted to say hi! I have been stopping by for some time, now, but I wanted to tell you that I really like your landscape!! I have been looking at a Maple in this area and have thought it must be Emerald Lustre, but from your pics, I realise it must be Deborah!
Your photos are brilliant, we are working to get more birds, the suet sits untouched, but the finches eat us out of housr and home!
Wow, congratulations to you husband for those really great shots! What kind of camera and lenses does he use?
Oh, I have a new birdhouse... with an apple inside! I'll show photos on my blog later on!
Wanderful photo's, i love the crow and the bluejay is so colourful.The squirrel is so cute.I wish the wildlife in my garden got close enough for my camera.
Karen, outstanding photos. Your husband took exceptional photos of the Raven too. That linked one made me say oh wow! Your photos always leave me in awe. Are you enjoying the photography course? How nice to see the squirrels up close too. All the creatures are very entertaining, aren't they?
I love blue jays. I wish we had more of them in my neighborhood. And I'm so glad you're welcoming the squirrels! So many people act like they're nothing more than garden pests, but I love them.
Great photos, too!
They are really nice pics Karen, are all your squirrels grey ones?
UKBob (and others), here is a link about the Eastern Grey Squirrel, which is what we get in our back yard.
http://www.hww.ca/hww2.asp?id=89
We get black phase ones, too. They are the same species, just an all-black variant. And -- I was never able to get a good photo of this -- we did have one that was brown on top with black hindquarters and tail.
Your squirrels are realy cute, Karen. Ours in my town are more red and brown.
Sigrun
Fantastic pictures - thanks for sharing. We used to have many blue jays in the garden and put out peanuts especially to attract them, but this past summer we only had 1 drop by.
Oh Karen what stunning photos! You have the most gorgeous garden visitors ever! I want blue jay's here too! *subs*
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