Woodpeckers and other photos from Tennessee River

[Celebration]

I am not really a birder, but when looking through my April photos I see that every single one of them is a bird! I love the challenge of photographing birds. And that is the way I learn different varieties, although I am not really fixated on that. So we go to the Tennessee River a lot and I probably have a record number of blue heron photos. This time I sat on our porch and took photos of the birds in the trees. Since this is the first time I have three varieties of woodpeckers in one weekend I thought I would share just the photos from the past weekend. Woodpeckers (Still, no photos of pileated woodpecker, sadly).







I barely caught this nuthatch (I think) who was VERY active--



I got some nice bluebird photos (I LOVE BLUEBIRDS)



Including one with a caterpillar



I was told that this is a pine warbler (flickr has a bird ID group)





A blue jay (ugh), a goldfinch, and two unknown birds round out my weekend. Plenty of robins but I generally won't take photos of them.









Not bad for one weekend in one location, without any feeders around (feeders make it too easy). And my husband found a lot of bass when he was fishing, too.

[XemaSab]

1. I believe

you also got a prothonotary warbler, a yellow-rumped warbler, and a pine siskin.

[Celebration]

2. Thank you!

I knew I could count on someone here.

The small birds are the hardest to photograph. I have a lot of fun with this. Fortunately I am only competitive with the birds, not the birders, who will always be much more knowledgeable about birds than I am. But I am slowly absorbing a little at a time.

My husband thinks I know a lot. "Northern flicker? Never heard of it. How do you know that?" LOL.

[locks]

3. So beautiful

You are a great birder and photographer; where were you? We don't get as many or as colorful except in migration in Colorado. They surely brighten the day. We had a very late cold and snow snap in April, which we badly needed, but many of our robins and common song birds died not being able to get to food.

[Celebration]

4. rural middle Tennessee

Thank you. The house is on a creek that goes into the Tennessee River. The water, tall trees, and grassy fields attract the birds. The cold weather lasted awhile here but it was not bad enough to affect the birds much, I don't think. So sorry the birds died in Colorado.

The issue with getting good photos here is the trees are so tall, and often the top of the trees is where the activity is. We do have a small front porch that more or less acts like a blind, so that is helpful. There are plenty of bluebirds around, which I like. And there is no shortage of red headed woodpeckers in the neighborhood. I see lots of nuthatches but I have to get lucky to get a photo of them. Usually I like to get photos of the shore birds but I am getting overloaded with blue heron photos, LOL.

So far only one eagle sighting close enough to photograph, and that was over a couple of years ago. There are a few around, though.

[locks]

5. Great places to live

I love Colorado but do miss some of the birds we had in Chicago and DC. We do have many bald and golden eagles and beautiful hawks, and near my house a pair of great horned owls are raising a baby (just one this year) and are fun to watch. They catch rabbits, fish, ducks, and can even get great blue herons! In the foothills we have lovely mountain bluebirds and other migrating songsters like the western tanager, as well as wading birds such as herons, swans and pelicans on the lakes. And some woodpeckers and flickers though not so pretty as the redheads. So I am not complaining and I do get to visit family in New Orleans where the cardinals come on the deck, but I never get pictures like yours. Keep up the good work and come to Colorado some time. We have some great birders who are always gracious enough to bring their scopes and tell me what I'm seeing.