MR. GORGEOUS!

It was a crazy busy morning at the bird feeder! So much fun watching the pecking order of the bird society. There were cardinals (both male & female), goldfinches, a blue jay and the first day for chickadees. I learned that the female cardinal is a bully. There she was, sitting at the back of the feeder (find her & a chickadee on Flickr) scaring away everything (except other cardinals). The cute little chickadees would land at the top of the shepherd’s hook and watch her until they got brave enough to swoop down to the front of the feeder to steal a seed or two, then quickly escape. Only a couple times did the chickadee dare to stay 10 or 15 seconds. When the male cardinal honored us with his presence (such arrogance!), the female would sit on a branch 6 inches from the feeder guarding him.

In addition to all the bird activity, a squirrel climbed the feeder pole and scared them all away. Then later he scrunched on the shed roof, ready to pounce on the feeder, but I stopped him. Also a neighbor’s cat wandered by, practically licking his chops at the thought of all those birdies. Oh, I almost forgot – a little chickadee was sipping water out of a potted-plant saucer. The flowers and the cute bird made the most ‘picture perfect’ moment of all, but I couldn’t get out there without scaring it.

It was a wonderful morning for blipping, and I got so many good pictures. Now to choose just one. The male cardinal is my blip today because it’s rare to get a good shot of him. Altogether, today was a great fun watching the birds!