Today the Backyard Birding was OFF Da HOOK!

(This is something that I posted on my personal Facebook page last week. Caution: it's a little silly with a few shameful attempts at  bird-related"jokes".  I don't know what had gotten into me. I was feeling overly-giddy about all of the birds that came up to our feeders that day. I wanted to post it anyway....you know, for birding posterity. It's going to be a great Autumn/Winter season!)

It was a day of birdwatching that will go down in birdwatching HISTORY! If there actually were books that covered birdwatching history.......

Here is what I saw:

A Black Capped Chickadee! They are very friendly, brave little guys. Here he is right up at my window. He's like: "You want a piece of this seed?" And I was like: "No. It is too small to share. I'll just get myself a sunflower seed, but thanks."

Not a great picture, but we saw some beautiful Blue Jays today. With their vibrant mix of blues, they're like the peacocks of the backyard world, only missing all the other colors of the rainbow. So, they're nothing like Peacocks at all.

A male and female Downey Woodpecker pair! (The boy is wearing a little red hat.) Because his wife was like: "Hal! It's cold outside! Wear that red hat I crocheted for you.Hal! Are you listening to me!?"

Our biggest sighting of the day, a Cooper's Hawk! I used to hate him for eating Greg. And the Mourning Dove. But then today, we had a staring contest. (Which I won by the way.) And I was just glad that he didn't slice me with his talons. So now I don't hate him as much.

Guess what? We saw a House Finch! He looks like a Sparrow on the bottom, Cardinal on top. It was bothering me for a week. What IS he? I let it get to me. Glad it's over now. I can move on.

This is Nutty! Nutty is our white-breasted Nuthatch. He is very cute and very hyper-active. He always seems neurotic. Very neurotic, darting all over the place. Constantly.

Hello, I am Nutmeg the  Red-Breasted Nuthatch! I'm smaller than my cousin Nutty, but just as cute. Not as neurotic. But, I eat non-stop. All day. GET THE SUET AWAY FROM ME! I can't help myself, it's so delicious!

Nutmeg eating, AGAIN.

"Lauren, wait, wait! Let me pose...ok, only get my good side."

Oh Nutmeg, I think you look gorgeous from ANY side. They're all good!