Challenges to getting Critter Photos

I was sitting down already when a cardinal landed on the window feeder this morning, so I thought I'd be able to get a photo that included the head.  The color showed up beautifully, but the focus was off.

I decided to take the top shelf down to get a better view of the feeder.  Still, I was too slow to get both of the birds eating, and the rosemary plant was in the way.

A sparrow and a black capped chickadee came next.  I'm sorry I cut your head off, birdie!

Well, there are still some obstructions due to the ice on the window.

Here is a female cardinal, and I still wasn't smart enough to move the rosemary plant.

After I thought to move the rosemary, no more birds came around for awhile.  I kind of like the look of the feeder with the cap of snow on it. 

 After a couple days of snow, I threw some seeds out for the birds this morning.  The squirrels had destroyed the sock thistle feeder we had put out after Christmas, so I put a pile of thistle down to see if any birds would eat it from the ground.  In less than five minutes, the sparrows and dark-eyed juncos noticed the fresh food.  The mouse did, too, but I wasn't fast enough this time to get it in any photos.

After a few minutes, the female cardinal flew in for a brief snack.

When the male arrived, the female left.  I got more photos of the male, because it stuck around longer.  The only birds I saw eating the thistle seeds were the dark-eyed juncos.

When a couple birds did come to the window feeder, they didn't stick around long.  I'm sitting in the dining room to do this post, looking up at the feeder, which is not currently attracting birds.  I wonder if they don't like being able to see into the house.  

I keep going back to check to see what critters are out in the back yard.  This blue jay came to eat for a few minutes.  I know the behavior of blue jays is not supposed to be so great at times, but I think they are pretty.

Larry had seen the squirrel earlier, when he went out to put 2 new suet cakes into the double feeder, and refill another feeder, but I didn't until early afternoon.  This one seems to prefer the sunflower seeds in the bird food over the corn Larry put out for the squirrels. 

It was sunflower seeds in the window feeder when the squirrels knocked it down.  That's why we put safflower seeds in it when we put it back up, because they say squirrels don't care for it. 

I don't think the woodpeckers have noticed the fresh suet yet.  Larry put the piece of uneaten suet cake left from the suet feeder with the corn he had put out for the squirrels.   This junco spent quite some time munching from it.

Larry moved this feeder to where we could see it from the back door. It's supposed to be squirrel proof, but they still tried to mess with it when there were sunflower seeds in it, and I'm thinking they've knocked it down before.  They are not bothering it with the safflower seeds in it.  I enhanced this photo of the sparrow on it in my iphoto edit program.  I didn't see the manual adjustment feature I used to use before the last update.

Finally, some black capped chickadees came to the feeder, as I was typing, but still didn't stick around long enough for me to get great photos of them.  I guess I'll take what I can get.

 While the above photos were being loaded, one came and stayed awhile.  It was pecking the edge of the tray for some reason.

It is a pretty bird.  I love the striped look of the feathers.

I had been thinking about participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count last week, but was not feeling well, so I didn't get it done.  I am tickled, though, over the variety of birds in our area, and that I get to see them from time to time.  I haven't seen mourning doves lately, but expect to soon.

(Added at 5:57:  Look what I saw out the door at suppertime! It was darkish, and I did the "enhance" thing again.  Oh, and Larry showed me where to go if I want to adjust things manually.)

I have been working on this post off and on much of the day, and need to get it published so I can participate in Misty Dawn's Camera Critters. The link is in my sidebar.  I hope you are enjoying your weekend!