Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Birding Through the Screen Door

When I bought my little birdbath/water fountain from my favorite nursery, https://www.andersonslacostanursery.com/ , I  was hoping it would attract birds and they would use the fountain to bathe. However, placing the fountain too close to the house is risky. The birds may be too shy and skittish to visit.  But if they do, the viewing would be amazing!  Today, my dream of making my patio an attractive and inviting place with the tiny fountain paid off above my expectations!





This morning while I was eating breakfast, several birds gathered at the fountain and proceeded to bathe and enjoy the tiny "fountain of fun". I stay seated at the dining table, reaching slowly for my Canon with a 250mm lens that I keep handy by my side at all times. Moving only my arms to bring the camera up to view the subjects as I snap some shots of the birds visiting the water fountain. In this shot, you can see there is a young female Hooded Oriole and several Lesser Goldfinches in the birdbath/fountain.

All these photos of the fountain were taken through the closed screen of the sliding glass door of my dining room. Due to the lack of lighting, the birds appear not to be able to see me and were quite relaxed. Here the Oriole is bathing as the male Lesser Goldfinch looks on.

You can plan and work hard to design your yard to make it inviting for birds but when they actually come and visit the new water fountain/birdbath for the first time, it is still very exciting and rewarding. The fountain is only about five feet away from the screen door of the dining room. I am sitting about 7 feet in from the screen door.
 The Oriole flies off and the male Lesser Goldfinch takes his turn to bathe at the fountain.



 A cute little youngster flies in.





Another Oriole comes to the "fountain of fun". There have been three female Orioles at the hummingbird feeder today. The feeder is only about 5 feet away from the fountain.

The Oriole hears the clicking sound of my camera.

Still skittish but the water fountain is too inviting for her to resist.

One last look around and she flies into the water's edge.
A little taste of water and a little dip too.

The water must feel great on a hot August morning. The weather report says it will reach 90 at the coast today and over 110 inland.

She keeps an eye out for any dangers that may appear.

Back to the water. This time she is at the top of the fountain. A goldfinch flies in and waits for his turn.
Still keeps a weary eye on her surroundings

Going for it.

Flapping the wings at the water surface.

Wow , she goes all in!

Totally enjoying the refreshing bath. The goldfinch enjoys a little shower too from all of her splashing.

What a wonderful sight to see.

I am so happy that I got this fountain. The enjoyment of watching these birds using the water fountain to bathe and cool off is priceless.What better way to start the morning. Watching these wonderful birds as you sip your coffee!

The goldfinch waits patiently for his turn.
 
What a fun shot. LOL, Look at the Oriole splash and spray the little goldfinch below!
Total bliss!

Almost done.

Last big flap of her wings and she flies off to preen on a nearby branch.
 
Now it's the male goldfinch's turn. He has been waiting patiently to get his dip in the fountain of fun. A female flies in and keeps a lookout while he bathes.
 Telling the youngsters to wait their turn.
Total enjoyment of the fountain by the goldfinch.

The male takes his sweet time and fully takes advantage of the cool flowing water fountain.


Splash , dip , dip, splash!

He is finally done. Another female flies in.
The youngsters wait for the male to leave.

Finally the females have the fountain all to themselves. They look like youngsters. This is what they saw the male do with his wings. Wow, it feels nice and cool and so much fun.

The two youngsters splash and enjoy the morning at the fountain of fun. My cute little water fountain is a big success at attracting birds to my patio. One last shot of the goldfinches having fun.

Soon, a pair of young Orioles stopped by to bathe in the fountain. I couldn't resist showing you a few shots. LOL, the top tier of the fountain looks almost too small to accommodate two Orioles.

What cuties. I am in heaven watching these cuties. 





9-02-2017... A quick update on the success of my bird friendly landscaping. I was just doing dishes and looked at my work in progress  koi-pond (still not finished) and I spot a Yellow-breasted Chat at the edge of the pond!  LOL, I leaped for my camera to have proof of my sighting. Here is the shot of the Chat that I managed to get from my kitchen window. This is the very first one I have seen in my yard! Hope I will get some shots while I am outside the house of this beauty.

Have a wonderful weekend and stay cool. Happy Labor Day Holiday to everyone!

No comments:

Post a Comment