More hummingbird pictures and some molting cardinals…
Well, Tropical Storm Hanna has finally blown through eastern NC, and we have once again returned to beautiful Carolina blue skies and great outdoor weather! And speaking of blue, we saw a bluebird in our tree at breakfast this morning! Didn’t get a picture, but it was very pale…either a female or a maturing juvenile. That’s the first bluebird we’ve seen in a long time. Excellent! By the way, like the plant we added to our deck? It’s some vinca that my mom gave us…we really 
like the color it adds, and it’s even attracted the attention of our hummingbirds.
Something else fun to report is that all of our juvenile cardinals (there are about four that have been flying around the backyard and visiting the seed plate) have started molting. Their brownish-gray colors are starting to be replaced with pinks and reds. Here’s a picture of one of them that was on our deck getting some leftover sunflower seeds.
I also took some time to sit under our hummingbird feeder and get some new hummer pictures (ruby-throats) to share with you. I think the one of the female with the small yellow and red spots on the side of her neck is my favorite. And just for fun, I threw in a bonus pic of a cardinal that was busy preening himself and waiting for me to go back inside. Hope you enjoy them all! Dave
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Thanks, Betsy! I’m not sure on the cardinals…I’m brand new to this event. It’s fun to watch, though!
The vinca present has really gotten us interested in adding more plants/color to our yard. We have terrible, rock-hard clay soil, so we’re thinking of just using planters. Any other suggestions? What do you plant for the fall/winter? I know pansies work…what else?
Hi Dave,
Glad to hear you survived Hanna’s wrath and are back in the sunshine.
We just bought two large planters of bright yellow mums which I will event. plant in the garden later this fall. Pansies are great. If you put them in a protected area they can last a long time. Last yr my neighbor’s pansies lasted into mid Dec.
We also planted an American Cranberry bush, which caught my eye b/c it is cited as a great source of winter food for birds. I’m hoping it will thrive and provide the fall color and berries for the birds during the winter mos.
By the way…your patience of sitting under the hum/feeder paid off, as you shot some amazing photos! The one of the young cardinal is great, love the head fluff!!
Tina, great ideas on the plantings…thank you! I really like the cranberry bush idea, as it could work for winter bluebird food. Are they okay for the south (in NC)? We’ve done some mums before, but they aren’t lasting well year to year.
Thanks for all your kind compliments!
Dave,
I have been deliberating most of the summer on what I want to plant that would bear fruit and attract birds over the winter!! I, finally, chose the Am. Cranberry bush b/c it takes the act of freezing and thawing to allow the carbs in the berries to convert to sugar therefore making them more palatable. From what I’ve read birds don’t gulp these berries down right away but tend to eat them when winter has taken alot of their food sources away. I think you said you live in central NC which I believe is zone 6 or 7. Everything I have read says it would do well in your area, but you might want to read up on it some more, if you decide you are interested. The dogwood also produces berries that birds apparently gobble up right away.
I am quite new to this whole bird thing and am always looking for other’s opinons on what works and what doesn’t!! Sooooo, that’s my story and I’m sticken to it! ha ha
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Our juvenile Cardinals are doing the same thing, Dave. Their colors are changing!!! One little guy looks almost orange right now. When do the beaks change to red?????
You’ll love Vinca. It’s one of our favorites during the summer. It looks alot like Impatiens but it’s a sun-lover.
GREAT pic’s!!!! Thanks!