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.
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37 comments:

  1. MontanagirlJanuary 13, 2011 at 5:19 PM

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

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  2. Betsy Banks AdamsJanuary 13, 2011 at 5:28 PM

    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

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  3. RoyJanuary 13, 2011 at 5:30 PM

    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.

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  4. GinnymoJanuary 13, 2011 at 5:36 PM

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

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  5. Grizz…………January 13, 2011 at 5:59 PM

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

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  6. Tammie LeeJanuary 13, 2011 at 6:11 PM

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

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  7. Lynne at Hasty BrookJanuary 13, 2011 at 6:13 PM

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

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  8. RoyJanuary 13, 2011 at 6:23 PM

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

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  9. Laure FerlitaJanuary 13, 2011 at 6:52 PM

    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!

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  10. EJanuary 13, 2011 at 7:02 PM

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

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  11. PennyJanuary 13, 2011 at 9:19 PM

    Such lovely photos.

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  12. ElaineJanuary 13, 2011 at 9:58 PM

    Excellent photos!

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  13. ChadJanuary 13, 2011 at 10:00 PM

    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!

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  14. grammie gJanuary 13, 2011 at 10:57 PM

    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!!

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  15. MargaretJanuary 13, 2011 at 11:15 PM

    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!

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  16. Claire MJanuary 14, 2011 at 12:03 AM

    Wow - what awesome photos and what an intriguing series!

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

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  17. holdingmomentsJanuary 14, 2011 at 1:04 AM

    Thank goodness for the Breadcrumb Fairy :)

    Lovely selection Kelly.

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  18. ChrisJanuary 14, 2011 at 4:20 AM

    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!

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  19. SueJanuary 14, 2011 at 4:56 AM

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

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  20. Bob BushellJanuary 14, 2011 at 5:19 AM

    Truly amazing photography and the writing, so well done.

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  21. Dan HuberJanuary 14, 2011 at 7:01 AM

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

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  22. JayneJanuary 14, 2011 at 7:20 AM

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

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  23. AngieJanuary 14, 2011 at 8:06 AM

    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?

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  24. KellyJanuary 14, 2011 at 8:24 AM

    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.

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  25. Mike B. @ slugyard.comJanuary 14, 2011 at 10:59 AM

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

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  26. oldcrow61January 14, 2011 at 2:31 PM

    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.

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  27. UnknownJanuary 14, 2011 at 4:50 PM

    Fabulous shots--especially of the chickadee! Wonderful!

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  28. Hilke BrederJanuary 14, 2011 at 7:06 PM

    Beautiful heartwarming photos and story, Kelly!

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  29. Wanda.....January 14, 2011 at 7:14 PM

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

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  30. Janice KJanuary 14, 2011 at 7:34 PM

    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.

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  31. eileeninmdJanuary 14, 2011 at 7:40 PM

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

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  32. Kerri FarleyJanuary 15, 2011 at 8:05 AM

    Beautiful captures!!!

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  33. UnknownJanuary 15, 2011 at 12:01 PM

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

    I love the chickadee photos.

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  34. Dawn FineJanuary 15, 2011 at 10:49 PM

    Beautiful shots Kelley!

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  35. forgetmenotJanuary 16, 2011 at 2:28 PM

    Such a cute little guy!!!

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  36. Kathie BrownJanuary 16, 2011 at 4:34 PM

    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!

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  37. MaryJanuary 23, 2011 at 4:29 PM

    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.

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