bushtit

So I saw this little lad yesterday in Beaverton, Oregon. They were among some other bushtits, and acted/sounded/looked just the same except for a yellowish face. Do they ever have colour variation like that, or do you reckon it was pollen? I didn't notice this on any of the others in the...

Haven't had the chance for good open-view digiscopes on these little ones, so this was a real joy. Playing a bit with burning in a border.. no color added, but burn & dodge.

some Bushtits, although more rarely in the clear than the chickadees were.

A lifer for me!! On vacation in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada we were able to capture a few treasures like this Bushtit. One of a pair flying back and forth to their very different looking nest.

Oh, and Poison Oak produces white berries that the birds seem to love. They must be immune to the allergenic oils.

Oak is not poisonous, and Poison Oak is not an oak. California has a number of oak species - Valley, Black, Tan, Cork, Coast Live, and California Live ... and possibly others whose names I don't know. These leaves look like Valley Oak to me. Poison Oak is not so much poisonous as allergenic...

to poison oak, apparently. There was a flock of Bushtits feasting on poison oak berries. I may share another shot of two of them later. They're so cute and acrobatic :D

Not a great shot, but the only Bushtit shot I got that trip, and I did have hopes of it turning out better, what with the silhouetted seed heads and the light sparkling on the bay behind. Oh well.

The sun was just right for this fast moving female.

I didn't get a decent shot of their yellow buddy (probably a Wilson's warbler), but - surprisingly - I did get a pretty good if distant shot of one of the Bushtits, even though they were equally busy and restless ... and even tinier than their yellow friend.

I had never been able to locate this variation of the Bushtit. My first trip to the Mexico City area last weekend surprised me with this find!

The swarms of bushtits who had flocked and gobbled suet like it was chocolate have waned. From 20 or more birds at the feeder throughout January and into this month have dropped to a few at a time, even a single bird. But they're so small they just dive headfirst through the cage. I'll miss...

Another shot of the bushtits, I've noticed two groups of about two dozen birds each, and they both visit. I also saw another large group in another part of town. It seems these little animals dig our winters.

A group of up to 20 bushtits have been hourly visitors to my suet feeder, with a dozen at a time grabbing food, while others wait. As if on a schedule, they all fly away at once. An hour later they return, rain or shine. It's been this way all month.

Bushtits are such tiny little birds and very cute!

There are swarms of these cute bushtits in the backyard attacking the suet feeder .

These are the cutest little birds that rarely sit still for very long.

Just back from the department's end-of-term dinner. Lucky I made it :eek!: Police are considering closing off the whole of downtown. Hurricane winds and lots of building materials flying about. I hadn't heard the news, but husband had. He wasn't sure he'd be allowed to drive down there to pick...

Just back from the department's end-of-term dinner. Lucky I made it :eek!: Police are considering closing off the whole of downtown. Hurricane winds and lots of building materials flying about. I hadn't heard the news, but husband had. He wasn't sure he'd be allowed to drive down there to pick...