Magic Touch & Her Birds

One of the perks of having Gardens is the birds they attract. Providing food, water, and shelter creates a haven for our feathered friends.

While assembling a board on Pinterest, I was astounded by the number of birds I have in and above my Gardens. The images  in Her Garden & The Birds were found at Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds.

Finally learning how to use a camera has allowed me to photograph the birds I see often. The images are from Magic Touch & Her Gardens, the pond in Zieglerville, as well as Cape May NJ.

From Magic Touch & Her Gardens

Male Goldfinch…Is the coast clear? Looking to see if it is safe to indulge in the bounty of Sunflower seeds.

And this is his partner checking things out as well…

Looking through the Garden gate….Planting Sunflowers and Coneflowers are sure to attract Goldfinches to any Garden.

And here we have a Robin. This is her stopping post before she enters her nest…I have at least 10 different sites where I have found Robin’s nests in my Garden…They are fond of my ladders. There was even a nest built on a Aluminum ladder stored on the inside of my fence…

A Song Sparrow guarding his nest during a snow storm…

One of our Winter residents…

My eerie image of a Crow. Not real fond of them, but their role in Nature is just as important as any other. Birds tend to sit on the dead side of this tree. It allows them a better vantage point.

And here we have a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird who wandered into my kitchen. Having flowers with trumpet shaped blooms will draw these little beauties into your Garden, and your house if you leave doors open…

And now for Cape May…

There are a few Purple Martin houses at Cape May Point State Park. Busy with activity. Purple Martins live in communities located near a large body of water.

A Common Sandpiper feeding at the waters edge on Diamond Beach.

From one of my favorite vantage points, Miss Chris Dock…I captured this image while waiting for the boat to return to dock…An Osprey nest w/the occupants…

Ospreys are Fish Hawks. For more images of birds at the shore,visit Birding By Boat….

And now for my visit to the pond…

A family of Canada Geese swim across the pond early in the season. Flanked by the parents to provide protection from predators.

This Killdeer was taking a bath near the ponds edge.

Caught you…Great Blue Heron are abundant in our area.

 In the middle of the pond is a small island with a willow tree…A nesting site for Green Heron…This nest has two babies…

And this nest…look at those babies…another Green Heron nest on the other side of the tree….what a surprise!

I went for another visit to the pond…First up…

A Belted Kingfisher

Great Blue Heron fishing atop a tiny island…

Last but certainly not least,

If we could just get him to trim that branch.
This is the nest I have view of from my kitchen door. The eggs should be hatching real soon…
Did you know an Eagle’s nest can reach 9 1/2 feet across and weigh over 2 tons? The shape can range from conical (like this one,) to flat. Sometimes they even build them on the ground….

I hope you enjoyed Bird Watching with me….