Birds of Late Summer

Brown Thrasher

It’s been several months since I’ve published a collection of photographs from the backyard. The reason: summer is my least favorite season for photography. The heat and humidity have a lot to do with that, as does the light in my backyard, which I think is at its least optimal in the summer months.

That said, temperatures have finally dropped to comfortable levels, and the light has noticeably begun to change. Acorns have started falling, and so have the leaves…it’s beginning to look and feel a bit like early fall! As is typical for this time of year, the activity at my bird feeders has decreased, with the exception of hummingbird activity.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (immature male)

The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have begun their fall migration to Central America; so, I’m seeing lots of them at my feeders while they “bulk up” for their journey. Interesting fact: Adult Ruby-throated Hummingbirds weigh roughly 3-3.5 grams (or 0.1 oz), about as much as a penny. To prepare for migration, they double their body mass. Some of these tiny birds fly non-stop over the Gulf of Mexico to reach their wintering grounds, a journey of approximately 500 miles.

Action at the hummingbird feeder. These birds are very territorial when it comes to food and do not like to share.

Also, you may notice that the backgrounds in some of these photos look a little different from previous posts. That’s because I’ve had to make some changes to my bird feeder setup. To make a long story short, I had a horrible time trying to prevent deer from raiding my bird feeders this summer. The mammal guard on my feeding station only works for small mammals, like squirrels and raccoons. But the deer, when they get up on their hind legs, are tall enough to reach some of my feeders and had gotten in the habit of raiding them in the middle of the night (and sometimes in the middle of the day).

So, I had to get a 22-inch extension for the pole to which I attach all of my feeders in order to move them out of reach. The result: I now have super-tall bird feeders! And I need to use a step ladder every time I fill them, which is not really ideal, but it’s worth the inconvenience to keep the deer away. What it means for my photographs: more natural backgrounds and less of my neighbor’s shed, which is not a bad thing.

I hope you enjoy this collection of photos from the backyard.

Carolina Chickadee
Blue Jay. Both the Blue Jays and Northern Cardinals are going through their annual molt; so, some of these birds may appear to be balding or generally a bit rough-looking. That’s because they’re in the process of growing new feathers.
American Goldfinch (male)
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (male)
Downy Woodpeckers (both female). These little woodpeckers are fiesty and tend not to tolerate each other well at feeders. This photo was taken seconds before an altercation, which resulted in one bird moving to another suet feeder.
House Finch (female)
Northern Cardinal (male)
Northern Cardinal (immature male). Note the contrast in appearance with the adult above.
Red-bellied Woodpecker (male)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (immature)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (immature male). I have three hummingbird feeders, and each of them is being guarded by a different bird. The birds who keep watch over my other two feeders usually perch in a tree or bush nearby and swoop down to chase other birds away from the food. But this little fellow prefers to sit on the feeder. He spends what appears to be a large portion of his day perched right where he is in this photograph. That’s his spot.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (immature male). The same bird as above, with a full view of the feeder.

Brown Thrasher
Carolina Chickadee
Red-bellied Woodpecker (male)
Pileated Woodpecker (male)
A Blue Jay with a mouth full of peanuts
Blue Jay (immature)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (female)
Northern Cardinal (immature female)
White-breasted Nuthatch
American Goldfinch (male). The little red cup in this photograph is an ant moat, which is attached to one of my hummingbird feeders. The goldfinches love to drink out of this particular ant moat, even though there is a bird bath less than two feet away from it. They use this cup so often that I leave it up year-round, even after I take my hummingbirds down for the season.
A Mourning Dove sunning itself. Birds sit in the sun with their wings spread to help clean their feathers.
Carolina Chickadee
Downy Woodpecker (female)
Brown Thrasher
A molting Northern Cardinal (female)
A Blue Jay with a peanut
Red Fox. This fox came into the backyard while I was outside with my camera late yesterday afternoon. It likes to sleep on the bench in this photograph. After it saw me, it left, and a bit later, I found it curled up in a wood pile just beyond the back fence. It was fast asleep.
Red Fox
House Finches (two males and a female)
Northern Cardinal (female)

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