A Bird in the Hand or Six in the Bush

The mornings this time of year are much quieter. The birds do not waste energy claiming their domain. (Except for the two crazy cardinals that routinely bang their heads against my windows.)  Instead, you have to listen for the quiet turning of crispy leaves as birds search for an overwintering insect or two.

The woodpeckers are the noisiest as always, and sometimes I can get a two for one with my camera...even if blurry.

The Cedar Waxwings come in so swiftly, eat their very select version of holly berries and then disappear again for days on end.  It has to be a bitterly cold day for them to visit my birdbath.  These are the best I could get through the window as they would fly if I stepped outside.

Hard to see above, but there are at least six Waxwings chowing down.  It is like one of those picture puzzle memes.

The Bluebirds, on the other wing, are groupy and busy, and hang around for a bit.  They know they are beautiful and overwhelm the house finch that usually own the birdbath.

There are some days where I am surprised by a distant visitor.  This one landed on the osprey nest and kept getting his talons entangled in the thick grasses that have grown due to the fertilization of dead fish parts.  At first I thought he was an immature red-tailed hawk...

But no, it is an immature bald eagle. We have a nest or two just up the river.