Welcome Visits

I'm working on the school yearbook and the deadline is this week, so it's work, work, work, most of which is on the computer both at school and at home. I should be done soon, but meanwhile here's a quick look at some of the birds that are visiting our feeder in the mornings.

We're quite taken by this Red-headed Woodpecker. Actually, I'm fairly sure we have two of them in our yard, along with a small Downey Woodpecker. It's always a thrill to see any of these striking birds.

We have several pairs of cardinals and for some reason the males seem redder nowadays.

This evening I was surprised to see this Red-winged Blackbird, one of Ben's favorite birds. I guess they must migrate during the winter, since I haven't seen any around for months. It was only late last summer that they started to visit our feeder, a sad result, I think, of losing their big tall pussy-willow habitat by the neighboring pond. I don't know what happened to that stand of willows, but they've been gone for a while and I guess the Blackbirds are looking for other places to hang out. Well, they are welcome here!

These photos were taken with my new S100 Canon from a distance of about ten feet, with no tripod and through a window; they turned out pretty well, I think. I sure love this camera! Thanks, Ben!