The Usual Suspects (Visitors at my feeder!)

Every morning just before the sun rises, I go out and load my feeders up with a handful of peanuts, chickadee mix, and finch mix, toss corn out on the grass area across the way to distract the squirrels, and put a little more seed on the floor for the doves.  Some days we have dozens of birds, all of which ignore the grey squirrels sniffing and nomming corn bits.  Then the red squirrels come along and mass chaos ensues in the squirrel drama department...

Birds that stay for winter:
Titmice - we get as many as 8
Blue Jays - we get as many as 10 x.x
Cardinals - 2 mated pairs plus a baby or two
Assorted Sparrows (European, American Tree, White-crowned, Chipping, House) - 10-25
Mourning Doves - we get 6-8, they like to sit in my platform style feeder now so they're not on the ground LOL
House Finches - 2-4
Chickadees!!!! 4-12, they're insanely adorable...
White and/or Red-breasted Nuthatches - there's dozens all up and down the pine trees and the ROOF of all places, all morning.
Goldfinches - 1-6 on the thistle feeders.  Some have taken to sitting in the platform feeder, too!
Sharp-shinned Hawk! - Only one so far...went after the sparrows.
Downy Woodpeckers - 1-2
Golden-fronted Woodpecker or a Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1
Northern Flicker 1

Only show up during winter:
Dark-eyed Junco - we get as many as 8, kinda territorial
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 1-2

An Unexpected Guest!

Today, we had some of the most incredible activity I had ever seen at my feeders.  I counted over a dozen sparrows and finches!  It was just amazing!  These two little guys are a female and male house finch, I believe.  I love this pose where they're facing opposite directions.

They were watching me the entire time as I photographed them.  Mind you, I'm about three feet away from them sitting on/in the kitchen sink.

My little titmouse loves to come to visit my feeders.  Today, he brought a friend!!  He seems more intelligent than the jays and cardinals, who went after food on the ground, rather than the huge baking tray I set up on the pedestal.

Today, Mr. Jay was more interested in nomming from the suet feeder.  He's such a piggy!  Mrs. Woodpecker also loves eating the suet, which is really cute to watch.

Here's Mrs. Woodpecker!  She's eating seeds off the ground.

Our unexpected guest!!  I had never seen a bird quite like this before, it was also due in part because of the weather.  It was really poofed out, making it look larger.

After pouring over internet sites, I finally managed to find out what it was!  A northern mockingbird!!! (Doyyyyy......)  I haven't seen a mockingbird in ages, and this one was more brownish than the grey I'm used to seeing, poofiness aside!  I've named him Mr. Poof, or just Poofy... So cute!  I was told it's not typical to see them down in low brush this time of the year, but I guess he must've been really hungry!  After Poofy came down, all the other birds got up and left.  I guess they don't like him much.