One, Two, Three - Stretch!

Oh boy, I just love it when a moment unfolds right before my eyes! I was working and happened to notice two jays sitting in the shrub outside my window. As usual, I grabbed my camera from my desk, and skulked ever nearer the window hoping not to startle the blue guys. I was able to focus in, fiddle with settings, and get off a bunch of shots, mostly of the birds looking quite pensive. And, then, as I watched, this one slowly stretched his/her wing completely out. I was able to fire off two quick shots once of which wasn't all that good. No question in my mind that this would be my blip! I have only seen jays preen from a far distance, so it was so completely unexpected to see this right before my nose, as it were.

It is warm but overcast today, heading towards rain, which seems to make the birds more active. Consequently, it's been quite busy at the feeders today. And, at one point, Extreme Seymour was sitting IN the hanging platform feeder, happily eating all the sunflower seeds. Little bugger. I let him eat for a bit before I tapped on the window to encourage him to scamper away.

This morning while I was outside making the morning rounds of our property, I saw a male house finch feeding seeds to a female. I tried to get some shots, but they are really not very good. It surprised me to see this behavior because I read somewhere that feeding was done when the female was ready to lay, or already brooding, usually in the spring. With all the finches we have here, I've never seen this before. It was a surprisingly tender moment.

Well, Thursday is ticking by. I am rethinking my "no cards" decision and will probably at least send out cards to those who send them to us. Sigh...