Thursday, January 13, 2011

Remember the Breadcrumb Fairy?

...she still seems to be visiting Pine Hill Lakes!

A little Carolina Chickadee alighted in the pine tree that the good-hearted Breadcrumb Fairy always seems to toss buns under. Click here to see what the Breadcrumb Fairy brought last year (I still haven't seen who the fairy is...).

Chiggy is studying the ground beneath the huge pine looking for breadcrumbs.

He looks a little harder..."they have to be down there somewhere, they always are..."

It was late in the day, and the birds must have been busy all day eating what was there because the snow and pine needles had been well "bird-foot-raked," and nothing much was left to be seen--but after a little hopping around and kicking up snow, the birds always came up with something to eat.

Looking...looking...
Our little tan-striped morph White-throated Sparrow was thorough in his recon...

...looking some more...a snowbird's work is never finished...

It all pays off. He's just about to rake up a bite to eat.

A sweet Song Sparrow gets in on the action and is rewarded for his efforts too.

37 comments:

Montanagirl said...

It seems like the quest for food is never-ending for the birdies. Nice photos, Kelly!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

That Breadcrumb Fairy is a very nice person.... I'm sure the little birdies appreciate all of those crumbs... Love the pictures of your little birds... TOO CUTE.

Guess what???? The SUN came out here today... HOORAY---the first time in forever it seems... ha

Hugs,
Betsy

Roy said...

Great shots, Kelly!

Food is a continuous search for birds when there's snow on the ground. I noticed Chickadees perching atop old cattail heads this afternoon, pecking away after any remaining seeds.

Ginnymo said...

What beautiful close ups of these cute birds. I love to hear them sing.

Grizz………… said...

Those are dandy close-ups of two of my favorite birds. Really nice.

Tammie Lee said...

the breadcrumb fairy has won my heart, thanks to you!

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

Oh, boy- that little chickadee is so cute it makes my teeth hurt!!

Roy said...

Lovely shots Kelly, I particularly like the second Chickadee image. A great pose.

Laure Ferlita said...

These images just make my heart sing! I hope they are blessed with ample food and may the breadcrumb faerie be blessed as well for such acts of kindness!

E said...

They are so darling, lovely birds, great pics. Glad all is fine, Kelly. Matt looks so tall and happy. Many hugs.

Penny said...

Such lovely photos.

Elaine said...

Excellent photos!

Chad said...

I don't like snow much but I do appreciate the fact it always brings great birds to my feeder. I don't get many species but I do get the best when there is snow on the ground!!! Great pictures!

grammie g said...

Hi Kelly...the Chickadee is do darn cute I just love them, they are the state bird for Maine!!
All great and adorable photo's!!

Margaret said...

I love that plump Carolina Chickadee - he almost could steal the show from the male cardinal. Your son certainly looks like he's enjoying the snow, too. I bet he wants more than a few bread crumbs when he gets back home, though!

Claire M said...

Wow - what awesome photos and what an intriguing series!

P.S. What sort of wonder camera do you have?

holdingmoments said...

Thank goodness for the Breadcrumb Fairy :)

Lovely selection Kelly.

Chris said...

Beautiful pictures Kelly, and I found the chickadee very cute... I love the environment with snow, it does give such a special touch to the pictures!

Sue said...

Black Caps have always been my favorite-so industrious, so busy, so darn cute!!!

Bob Bushell said...

Truly amazing photography and the writing, so well done.

Dan Huber said...

wonderful post and photo series Kelly. Looks like the lighting was perfect.

Jayne said...

It's so hard to get really good, sharp photos of the chickadees, and these are perfection Kelly!

Angie said...

How beautiful! I adore the little Chickadees. They just melt my heart!! I love the the Bread Crumb Fairy story. Isn't nature grand? And those of us who love it so seem to have a bit of a softer nature too, don't you think? :) Thank you so much for visiting my blog, and leaving a comment. I always enjoy your photos. I'm doing a camera poll right now LOL and wonder what you use?

Kelly said...

Thank you!! The camera setup I use is:
Nikon D700
Nikon AF-S VR-Nikkor 70-200mm 2.8G lens
Nikon 2x teleconverter
If I need to I crop the images down in Aperture (I'm a Mac). The lens is nice because it has vibration reduction, which makes the cropped image quality acceptable.

Mike B. @ slugyard.com said...

Beautiful shots- these birds would probably be happier over at our place, we haven't had any snow yet this winter!

oldcrow61 said...

These are fantastic pictures of the birds. The Chick a Dees flit about so fast that I find it difficult to get a good picture. You've done a wonderful job of it.

Unknown said...

Fabulous shots--especially of the chickadee! Wonderful!

Hilke Breder said...

Beautiful heartwarming photos and story, Kelly!

Wanda..... said...

Very special photos, Kelly! Really, really love the second chickadee photo!

Janice K said...

Awesome pictures....I especially liked the first one! Those little ones can get so anxious when the snow is falling and a storm is moving in.

eileeninmd said...

Beautiful photos. I'm sure the birds appreciate the food in the winter months.

Kerri Farley said...

Beautiful captures!!!

Unknown said...

Kelly, I am always so impressed with your photography and your artwork.

I love the chickadee photos.

Dawn Fine said...

Beautiful shots Kelley!

forgetmenot said...

Such a cute little guy!!!

Kathie Brown said...

I suddenly have song sparrows coming to my yard and they chase the white-throats right away and dominate the area beneath the feeders! Great shots as always. I want to kiss that cute little chickadee!

Mary said...

Great photos! Chickadees are always so cute and this one sure proves it. I hope he found lots of breadcrumbs. The White Throated Sparrow is cute too. I love both of these birds.