Birds Who Entertain

Birds are stress busters. I could sit for hours and watch them come and go as they visit my feeders, build their nests, and elude predators. The idiosyncrasies of birds are revealed in close up photographs. Several photos in this gallery have earned awards including "Surprise Guest" which received the "People's Choice Award" for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology/ Droll Yankees 2016 Birdspotter Photo Contest (North America) and "Elvis is in the House" awarded Honorable Mention in the birds category for the 2010 Maryland Department of Natural Resources photo contest.

Surprise Guest
A European Goldfinch is not native to the United States. During early 2016, there were eBird reported sightings near New York City and Chicago and my sighting in Maryland. I was able to get a few close up shots on a snowy day in February. This is my favorite. This photo won the "People's Choice" award in the Week 15 BirdSpotter 2015-16 Photo Contest sponsored by Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Focus on the Face
European Goldfinch
Perhaps a Pet?
European Goldfinch - These birds are not native to North America, but have been sighted in increasing numbers (a few hundred) in Wisconsin, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware. I spotted this one at my feeders in January and February of 2016 on snowy days. It was alone, but traveling with a flock of about 30 American Goldfinches. The Maryland Biodiversity Project documented the sighting on their Facebook page and I recorded it with photos on the EBird site. It is likely these birds were transported here via the pet trade.
Profile
European Goldfinch - Another shot of the rare European Goldfinch (very few in the US, introduced through the pet trade), hanging out at my feeders in Maryland. One of my Facebook followers commented about this bird having the Maryland flag colors. It is true. Too bad the species is not native to the United States.
Talk, Talk, Talk
Male Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
Hummer Stare Down
Ruby Throated Humming Bird
Food Guard
Ruby Throated Hummingbird
Red Neck
Ruby Throated Hummingbird
My Best Side
Ruby Throated Hummingbird, Female
Redneck Hummer
Ruby Throated Hummingbird
Tucked
Ruby Throated Hummingbird
Iridescence
Ruby Throated Hummingbird, Female
An Itch
Ruby Throated Humming Bird
Morning Light Hover
Ruby Throated Hummingbird
When Bluebirds Kiss
Eastern Bluebirds - I watched this pair of Bluebirds in the rain as they were working to build a nest in my mom's Bluebird house. They paused at one point and seemed to stare at one another. After seeing the photo, it appeared their beaks were intersecting.
8X10 WetBluebird
M5X7WetBluebird
Defiant Bluebird
Male Bluebird
Big Scary Bluebird
Bluebird
Aren't you going to carry me over the threshold?
Bluebirds
The Calm Before the Storm
Bluebird
He Watches and I Work!
Bluebird Couple
Bluebird of Unhappiness
Bluebird
Who Me?
Pine Warbler - Sighted at my feeding stations during snow days in 2016