Cardinals are one of my favorite birds, we have them year round eating the Possum Haw and the Yaupon Holly berries.
The y also love the American Pokeweed that we have in our backyard just for them.
Of course we love all the lovely birds that visit us and try to provide them.

This morning I watched Goldfinches, winter visitors here, eating the seeds of crepe myrtles. I was really surprised to see them eating something so hard & larger than I thought they would like. One really does learn something new everyday!

I have four big bluejays at my feeder and as I watch them, I see that they eat the black oil sunflower seeds whole rather than cracking them like the cardinals and other birds do. They must have a heck of a digestive system.

Marvin, the jays were storing the whole seeds to hide and find later, from Google. " Blue Jays carry food in their throat and upper esophagus—an area often called a “gular pouch.” They may store 2-3 acorns in the pouch, another one in their mouth, and one more in the tip of the bill."

It is very cold here and the birds are busy at the feeders, I have several feeders and 4 suet cakes hanging in the trees.

We had the annual bird count on the 20th of December, from what I have read, so far the count seemed pretty average..

Enjoy your dedicated National Bird Day ! Seems appropriate too that it might be in your coldest weather when they really do need thinking about with added special care needs attended to; food, water etc.

@flaflwrgrl interesting that your Goldfinches were at your Crepe Myrtles. You may have seen this photograph before but I'm adding it here in case not. It is Eastern Rosellas also enjoying the seed capsules on Crepe Myrtle.

Very neat Carole! Beautiful Eastern Rosellas!

As some of you might have read in something I posted somewhere, the birds in my 'hood have been MIA for months. We found out why. There's been a couple of hawks hanging around. But just before New Year's I put out some of my feeders. Wasn't but 5 minutes after I filled the feeder with the mixed seeds and fruit that I saw a pair of cardinals. The male was at the feeder and the female was watching from the overhead power line. The next morning I put some fresh thistle in the goldfinch feeder and I've been seeing a couple finches on it. I've seen 1 or 2 jays at the peanut feeder. Think they're all a little skittish because of the hawks.

Margaret — Interesting info about the jays.

Carole — Beautiful birds!

Our Goldfinches are really feeling the cold spell here; I'm having to refill the feeder every evening as it drops to half empty! There aren't enough perches for our six regulars to eat all at once when it drops that low, so I make sure to keep topping it off.

We're putting out lots of bird cakes in addition to bird seed with our cold temps.

Carole, those birds are beautiful!

We had a major storm blow through here yesterday, I couldnt put the food out fast enough for my birds, junco's, cardinals,, bluejays, morning doves & 15 squirrels, the wood peckers went though 1 cake in 3 days and dopey me only picked up one since they normally last 2 weeks, so off to the feed store today to stock up, also last week I had 10 turkey hens show up so I got them cracked corn.. Enjoy your bird watching, I enjoy it as much as my cats

Carole, what beautiful birds you have there in Australia, love the rainbow colors of those gorgeous Rosellas!

I too was shocked the first time I saw a Northern Cardinal eating Crepe Myrtle seeds. Even with all the feeders and variety of food that I put out for them, this one decided it preferred seeds of the Crepe Myrtle tree:


Blue Jays are known to fill their crops to overflowing. I've seen them with crops full of sunflower seeds and they also love peanuts and love to horde them! I sometimes mix peanuts in with birdseed and the Jays will fill their crops and then take off to their nest to feed the babies, or to stow the seeds/peanuts for future meals. These are old photos but you can see what I mean ... they sure look like gluttons!

Great pictures, Lin!

Thanks y'all ... they are old photos; I haven't taken any bird pictures the past few months.

This was taken yesterday afternoon, I lost count at 25, they wouldn't stand still long enough I had to take the picture through the windows, they are very skittish

Christine, that's a lot of Turkeys!!

A ton of turkeys!

Are they invaders or live in the neighborhood?

tx_flower_child, they live in the area, I only started feeding them this year, it started out with 10 around Xmas and they must have spread the word and told all the other hens, just like some women they gossip