Senior Moments

A goldfinch at our thistle mesh bag. September 9, 2008.

I’ve written several times about Betsy’s new-found infatuation with birds.  I have to admit that right now the birds rank right up there with the weather as far as Betsy is concerned.

I think Betsy’s favorite bird at the moment is the cardinal.  But for several weeks we’ve had glimpses of a goldfinch in the yard.  We’ve never been able to get a picture of it until yesterday.  The picture above isn’t very good, but we did at least get a picture.  After we got this picture we saw two goldfinch around a different feeder, but couldn’t get a good picture because of the screen between us and the feeder.

The bird is getting thistle seeds from the mesh bag.  Evidently goldfinch are particularly fond of thistles, because Betsy got another feeder and filled it with a mixture including thistle seeds and that quickly got the attention of the goldfinches.

The American Goldfinch is a gregarious bird and can be found in small groups during the breeding season and in flocks during the winter.  Hopefully they will continue to be attracted by Betsy’s feeders year around.

A male cardinal on our deck. August 28, 2008.

As I’ve mentioned before, Betsy has become fascinated with birds.  She started with hummingbirds a couple of years ago, but has moved on to other species as well.  She started putting out bird seed on the deck and then got a seed bell.  Since then she has been quite successful in attracting birds onto our deck to have a snack.

We also got a bird bath for the back yard which also attracts its share of ‘customers’.  All in all it’s possible to see quite a bit of feathered activity on our deck or in the back yard.  When Betsy is not watching her feathered friends she is online trying to identify the birds she’s seen.

We’ve seen a pair of cardinals for a couple of weeks, but apparently cardinals are shy birds and we couldn’t get close enough to get a picture.  But it rained all day Tuesday and we had errands to run yesterday morning, so it was nearly noon before Betsy was able to put out her bird seed.  I guess the birds missed some meals and were hungry because we had quite a few enjoying their meal.  And to our surprise even the cardinals showed up for a snack and the male stuck around long enough for us to get the picture above.

I wonder what species Betsy will attract next?

Tufted Titmice on our deck. August 16, 2008.

I mentioned a few days ago that Betsy was fascinated with the hummingbirds that visit the feeders she put up around our deck. She just loves those hummingbirds.

But she has broadened her interests since then. There was a base for a bird bath behind our house when we moved in, but we never got the top for it until about a week ago. We finally got the top and set up the bird bath and Betsy has been keeping a close watch on it. She got very excited when she saw a cardinal using the bath. Unfortunately it flew away before she could get her camera!

A couple of days ago we were at Lowe’s and Betsy saw a bird-seed bell — bird seed pressed into the shape of a bell. Since she knew we had many small birds around the house, she got one and put it up on the deck.

The cardinal visited the bell a time or two, but the stars have been Tufted Titmice. These little birds absolutely love the the new seed bell. We’re not really sure how many titmice are around, but we counted six different birds on one occasion.

So for the time being at least, Betsy is in ‘bird heaven’. But there are some disadvantages for her. As she looks from the hummingbird feeders, to the bird bath, to the seed bell, Betsy is in danger of getting whiplash!!!