Backyard Visitors

From the chairs in our den, we are often entertained by our backyard visitors.

This summer we invested in a bird feeder

and hung it from a tree that could be easily seen from the Den.

 Although our first visitors were sparrows,

they were soon joined by other species of birds.

 Some, like these Black-capped Chickadees enjoy the bird feeder...

 ...while others like this Dark-eyed Oregon Junco prefer the seed off the ground.

 Although we had goldfinches earlier in the summer,

they have flown south and now we just see these house finches, 

both male and female like here.

 

Now we see robins, crows, downy woodpeckers, the occasional  Gilded Northern Flicker

and a pair of these Rufous-sided towhees.

But this Red-breasted Sapsucker was one of our most unusual visitors,

along with a Cooper's Hawk who scared everyone else away.