Through the years, the forsythia bushes that form the boundary between our back lawn and the woods have been the favorite hangout of the songbirds. I used to wonder why, but over time, I’ve more or less deduced that these bushes have a lot of edible material in them. They are dense enough so that the predatory residents of the woods can’t reach them. And maybe, it provides some shelter from the cold.
Little bird in the thicket
All of these were taken in winter from my window in the early hours of the morning when it was cold and usually, snowy. In the summer, I know they are there, but the leaves make them invisible. Which, I think, is the way they prefer it.
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Categories: #Birds, #Photography
THE ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK 
SQUARE BIRDS FOR MAY ’24 
WIND UNDER WINGS 
PILEATED WOODPECKER – THE OMG BIRD PLUS OTHER PECKERS OF WOOD 
SERENDIPITY - SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 
Just look at how puffed up they are to keep warm. They’re nice and cheery on a miserable rainy day.
Leslie
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I don’t know if they were particularly cheery. It was very very cold and everything was covered in ice and snow. We left them bread, but I think it didn’t help much. They survive, but i don’t know how they do it. I guess feathers are warmer than they look. But they are so tiny and almost weightless.
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They may not be cherry but they do make us feel cherry.
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They are wonderful, I always feel for them with their ruffled feathers which you captured, in the snow and cold. Is the first one a Carolina Wren??
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Yes, it is, and I chased that little bird around the property. They move so fast and so much, I could always hear him — the loudest bird of its size — but I could rarely see him. Finally, got’em. It was a triumph. A small one, but still, I take my triumphs wherever I can 🙂
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What lovely captures. Yes, I bet these birds prefer to be hidden too.
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The hedge is a safe place for them. I always feel so bad because they look so cold, but that’s the way nature is. And spring returns.
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Reblogged this on Little Lord Oscar Dandelion Books and commented:
Beautiful photographs of winter birds from Marilyn Armstrong.
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These are beautiful, Marilyn.
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Yes, thank you, they are beautiful. We see them more when the weather is very cold — which it hasn’t been this year, except for a couple of days. If it isn’t very cold, they fly around more, but when the temps drops well below freezing, they huddle in the bushes and don’t move much. I guess that’s how they keep from freezing.
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One thing I always admired was your red cardinals. The only thing near ot it in our area would be the robin and they are very shy. I once had a lesser spotted woodpecker that visited regularly once a day for a share of the winter food, but otherwise it is the usuals that turn up. They are quite easy to photograph, as we do not live in a forest area, but as soon as they notice movement they fly away.
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We’ve a lone robin that lives in our garden. Pretty little thing. (on the Norfolk coast, England).
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We never have more than one cardinal at a time. They are very territorial birds, so if two males meet, they will fight. One morning, when Kaity was little and we were standing at the top of the driveway waiting for the school bus, we saw two cardinals and I said, “Watch, there’s going to be a fight!” and there was. Aerial warfare. Amazing feats of flying prowess … and the invader left. We don’t seem to have a cardinal this year. The catbirds and juncos seem to have taken charge, but the balance of power changes often. The robins have not been back since the neighbors poisoned them a couple of years ago, but I’m hoping they’ll return after a while. I told them, it wasn’t us, but I don’t think they trust us anymore.
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So many cool birds!
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Thank you. They love us for our forsythia hedge 🙂
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Beautiful shots of the birds — your cardinals are spectacular! (we have a few yellow birds and a few with some blue, but most of our songbirds are finches and sparrows!)
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The cardinals are the stars of the backyard show, but only the boys. The girls aren’t bright red. Just a bit of pink and greenish brown 🙂 Thanks!
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It’s “Boids” not birds.
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Right. I forgot. Please forgive me!
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