Birds and 'boo

I hung one of my bird feeders from a Blue Timber Bamboo (Bambusa chungii) cane and numerous birds have flocked there to feed.

Below are a few of the many species I've photographed against a beautiful bamboo backdrop.

One of my favorite birds - a chickadee - came for the sunflower seeds

Two cardinals - the red-feathered male in the forefront with the less showy female in the rear

Two goldfinches on the sides with a chipping sparrow in front

Two goldfinches alone.   They must have scared the chipping sparrow away

Osprey enjoys the view from Beautiful Bamboo

Ralph and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time to see this osprey fly in and land on a clump of mature Oldhamii bamboo. He's perched on the thin tip of a cane that lost its leaves in the recent cold spell. Ralph and I might object to a few less leaves on the stand of bamboo but the osprey doesn't mind. He (or she?) finds the leafless cane perfectly suited for his sharp talons to clutch while he surveys the landscape. The clump of oldhammi (Giant Timber) is right next to the lake, an ideal setting for all sorts of predatory fish-eating birds including ospreys.

Cedar waxwings perch on bamboo

I was helping customers in the nursery yesterday afternoon when a sudden noise caught my attention.  I turned toward the loud thud to see what it was and noticed about 200 cedar waxwings perched on the bare canes on top of a stand of cold-damaged Angel Mist bamboo.  The noise came from the birds' wings as they rose in unison from a nearby mulberry tree to perch on the bamboo.  Cedar waxwings are social birds that travel in flocks from one feeding source to another.  They annually visit our property where we have many fruit trees covered with yummy berries.  The birds like to perch on nearby branches - in this case on the bamboo canes - in between their berry-devouring feasts.  We don't get many berries because of the birds but it is hard to stay angry at such beautiful looking creatures.

Above:  Waxwings enjoy a mulberry feast

Below:  A flock of waxwings perch on the bare branches of a cold-damaged Angel Mist in between feeding frenzies