A cool thing about this cold snap and all this snow, is that there have been a lot more birds hanging out in the gardens on the other side of my window! They're so cute hopping about and eating the last berries on the bushes, they make everything come alive! :o)
Allow me to introduce them to you (clicking on French names takes you to a bird website in French with distribution diet and more photos; Latin names takes you to Wikipedia in French, but I think you can change the language), and remember to click on photos for a larger view:
- Tourterelle turque or Streptopelia decaocto (Eurasian collared dove) some kind of dove that go released in the city "years" ago and has adapted quite nicely, in part probably thanks to friendly neighbours providing food during winter. These are the most abundant I've seen out of the window:
They particularly like the big fir tree:
- A male Merle or Turdus merula (common blackbird), always with a bright and shiny plumage!
closeup:
who had quite a feast on berries like these!
- And finally, surprise one morning, a Mésange charbonnière or Parus major (great tit) lovely little thing!
Apparently they're all a lot more visible now with the snow because they come closer to the houses seeking refuge from the cold, and looking for those fatty seed balls some people put out to feed them. Lucky me! But they'd better be careful, they're not the only critters hanging around in the backyards...
miaow! ;o)
I've been trying to get a shot of the large crows up on campus... but unlike these guys, they seem to have disappeared! :s
Oh, awesome pictures of our feathered friends, Cris! Yes, they are needing to watch out for other predators, but the snow helps with that. We have a black cat that wants to snatch the birdies, but he sure stands out in the snow. Of course, the hawks are much smarter than that and are birds themselves, looking for a tasty treat!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pics, Chris. Love the snow.
ReplyDeleteThanks guys!
ReplyDeleteNancy I'm having a BLAST with all this snow (in case it wasn't obvious from the mono-theme of my posting lately, lol!).
DJan, no predatory birds that I've seen around here in the city so they should be safe from an attack from above! I saw plenty of cats wandering around up 'till the snow started. I know they're still here 'cause of the prints, jsut never see them anymore!