First Birds of 2013

With the new year comes a clean slate. So I started January 1st intent on filling that slate. At first, in the somewhat drab, overcast morning, there were no birds to be seen in the front yard, but then the first bird appeared. It was no surprise that it was a chickadee. Indeed, the first two birds were both chickadees. Here in central New Jersey, there's some hope that we could see both Carolina and Black-capped Chickadees, but most of what we see here are the Carolina Chickadees. Every now and then, I think I detect a size difference between one bird and another but I think that's more wishful thinking than anything else.

Here's the second bird. The two of them were zipping between the feeder and the maple tree so frequently that it was no surprise that I got this picture of a bird in motion.

Next to appear was a Downy Woodpecker:

The chickadees were in and out so quickly that another appeared before the Downy had finished selecting its seed!

Next on the scene was the first house finch. As we'll see, it wasn't long before a family of them appeared.

Next on the scene was a pair of Northern Cardinals. They both headed for the seeds spilled under the feeder. But the female was very camera shy. Each time she appeared, I'd move the camera to point at her and she'd notice the movement and immediately fly off. On the other hand, the male ignored me completely, thereby making itself easy to photograph, although the angle from the window wasn't the best.

It was not a surprise to then see a White-breasted Nuthatch. We've had many of them visiting all winter. I first spotted this on in the maple tree just as it spied the feeder.

Seconds later, it was on the feeder. I'm very pleased with this shot. It was the best of the morning.

A pair of Blue Jays also showed up, but they were even more skittish about my proximity and didn't come closer than the tree. I was lucky to get this picture moments before the bird flew off to the other side of the street.

What is this House Finch looking at? The next image reveals a full feeder! All the perches were occupied by members of his family (or, at least, his entourage).

No room at the inn! Finding that all four perches were occupied, the bird returned to the top of the feeder.