September 27, 2013
Scarcity and Abundance
Sometimes Missy’s has only one guest.
It’s more exciting when there are many guests trying to share the same feeder.
It’s amazing to realize that there are often more birds around than it seems at first glance!
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August 21, 2013
Happy Day!
In the heat and humidity of August days in Florida, Missy’s people begin to look forward to the arrival of the fall migrants in the weeks and months ahead. It’s also fun to recall cooler days past when entries were added to birding Life Lists….
March 1983 life list entries
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June 29, 2013
There must be a Hummingbird rulebook somewhere. If you were to find it, you would no doubt find the rule about visiting Missy’s only when the light doesn’t permit good photographs. None the less, it’s been fun for the past week or so to see a hummingbird make a nightly visit to the yard and to capture it’s image tonight.
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June 8, 2013
Missy isn’t so sure about these guests to her diner.
Mama was the first to appear.
The next night she returned with some companions.
The babies seemed to move as two pairs of two.
Cats aren’t the only curious creatures living here.
Nor are cats our only climbers.
We are glad this family can find safety here and hope they will move on to the wooded area near our home soon so the birds can reclaim “their” yard.
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May 23, 2013
It’s different around Missy’s now that all of the winter migrants have left. There are cries for food from hidden babies for days and then she sees parent birds out in the bushes with their newly fledged youngsters. But there is an overall decrease in activity now that the winter migrants are gone.
Missy played hostess to a Prarie Warbler late in the migration season,
at least one nectar-loving Palm Warbler mixed among others who stuck to their more normal insect diet,
and a Blackpoll Warbler played in the oak trees for an evening.
There were Goldfinches who stayed for a couple of weeks, filling the neighborhood with their cheerful conversations.
Missy also hosted a skittish male Painted Bunting who seemed to enjoy dining with a House Finch for company.
Several weeks after the male Painted Bunting left, a female Painted Bunting stopped by for a few days of rest and refueling.
The winter-resident hummingbird finished his molt and left shortly thereafter.
Missy hopes to see all return next fall!
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March 9, 2013
Not wanting to be outdone, Missy will raise the “feeder envy” stakes with one hummingbird AND three goldfinches at feeders at the same time!
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March 6, 2013
This little hummingbird has been a winter resident at Missy’s. A very camera-shy bird, he’s been tough to photograph until the cold fronts sent him to the feeder. Excuse the slightly tubby look–it’s time to begin to get ready for northward migration.
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January 5, 2013
While Missy doesn’t understand how any creature would enjoy paddling around in a body of water, she thinks it is nice that the nearby lake played host to both white and brown pelicans today.
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January 18, 2013
We’ve had pairs of House Finches come through each fall and spring during migration but none of them stayed more than a week. This little gal has been here for a month and usually prefers a tray feeder near its favorite perch in the Arbor Vitae bush.
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