And Cee didn’t even ask me what this week’s subject should be!  My readers and followers will know that one of my favorite activities is taking video and still photos of all the variety of birds that visit my backyard suet and seed feeders.  In all seasons, and through all kinds of weather, my trusty phone is handy to capture backyard visitors.

The photo below is very unusual, since the Rufous-sided Towhee is engaging in uncharacteristic behavior.  Towhees are normally ground-feeders, but this guy decided he’d try his beak at suet.  Sorry for the blur, but the photo is taken through the glass door.  Unfortunately, he didn’t get much of the tiny suet block left, since he’s really too heavy for the feeder.

These little guys, on the other hand, know just what to do when presented with a basket of nice suet.  They are tiny and lightweight.

They travel in little flocks, and on trees they can be found hanging upside-down, going after bugs on the underside of leaves.  They are definitely the gymnasts of the bird world.  Below are a couple of shots of a bigger visitor to the main suet feeder.  They are Red-Shafted Flickers (the male at the suet, the female on the bird bath, and visit often.  You can hear their loud call from many of the tall trees in our neighborhood.

I think my very favorite bird is our Townsend’s Warbler.  He used to come around mostly in the winter, but now he visits year-round. I just think he’s so cute with his black bandit mask!

We also get our share of Chickadees, both Black-capped and Chestnut-backed; sometimes both at the same time.  They are nearly fearless, letting me get within two or three feet while I’m taking my photos or video.

In the picture below, can you spot the Chestnut-backed Chickadee?  Hint: he’s not looking at you!

Here’s another of my favorites.  This Red-breasted Nuthatch loves the suet, but in spring he eats one sunflower seed at a time from the seed feeder.  Very fastidious little guy!

Away from home in 2012, at the Jersey Shore, we saw a huge flock of seabirds, including terns, gulls, and  Skimmers (the ones with the orange and black beaks).

And, finally, at an air museum in South Dakota, I spotted this pair of flyers (house finches) perched on another flyer.

Here’s the Link to Cee’s Original post.