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Saturday 25 June 2011

Shadow Shot and "Our Black Cap Chickadees"

This past week has been a bit difficult for me .. usually I post a lot more often, so the lack of posts really hit home how off this time has been for me .. another 3 weeks waiting for the results is going to wear on me a lot .. but .. my garden and all the little wildlife in it is such a gift .. it keeps me sane .. which is saying SOMETHING ! wink wink
This "Spiderweb Rose" may not be very shadowy but I thought it was perfect for a little shot of Halloween that I can really use ;-)
Visit Tracy at Hey Harriet for more of our Shadow Shooters works of art : )
Now for my "Little Chickadees" .. and this is especially for Cassie of Amazing Graceland since she has been trying so hard to get chickadees to take up residence in her garden ..
Cassie it took years , and I mean years !, before they decided this little birdhouse was worthy of being their home .. so hang in there girl : )


They are as amazing as hummingbirds for quick flight and actual "hovering"
I experienced a personal hover right beside me as I quietly tried to catch a picture of them feeding the babies .. They didn't dive bomb me, or were aggressive .. but one parent just hovered beside me checking me out to see that I was me!
They have become acquainted with us by coming up to the deck door first thing in the morning .. and I am talking 5:30 .. I get up at 5 ! .. and chatting to me .. so they know me : )
I love how all the birds keep the insect population down in my garden .. I do NOT use chemicals!
If a plant can't survive and insect attack ... well .. it gets cut back or hosed down .. and it may have to regrow all over again or wait for next year .. I won't expose the birds to anything harmful.
They have a big enough challenge to survive the world as it is!
I did worry about the metal roof aspect but this side of the garden is in shade most of the time so a little morning sun isn't to hot to handle thankfully!
So there you are .. my little chickadees .. we love you to bits along with our Goldfinches, but especially so, because you have chosen our garden to raise your babies and that is a gift to us!

20 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Aaauhhhh those chickadees are so sweet. Great captures of one with a moth in its mouth.

Anonymous said...

Great shots, and what a treat to have a chckadee family in residence. I can't wait to see the photos of the little ones.

Marguerite said...

Chickadees were the first bird I could identify as a child and have always had a soft spot for them. How lovely that you get to see them daily and watch their progress.

GRACE PETERSON said...

So precious! My friend Carol has a family of Chickadees in her garden too. They're in a small nondescript birdhouse. I guess this is what they like. Hopefully Cassie will get a family in her garden before too long. Hope all is well with you. Drop a line when time allows. :)

Cassie said...

L-O-V-E this post! Your chickadees have become your little friends. It will be so cool to see their peeps. They sure do seem to be curious little creatures. I hope your garden and birdie buddies give you lots of cheer this SSS weekend Joy.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello Lisa girl and thank you ! They are so hard to get pictures of because they are lightning fast !!
I was lucky to get these ones : )

Sandy girl thank you : ) We are tickled PINK to have them and I want more birdhouses in the garden so we can have more families helping me keep the garden bug free? LOL They are gorgeous little wonders to watch!

Hello Marguerite girl.. I think they were my first birds to recognize and remember too : )
I am so excited to have them nest in the funny little house on a garden stake .. I never thought any birds would take up residence in it!

Grace girl I think they like to stay anonymous ? so they live in very ho hum ? housing ? LOL
I hope Cassie gets to have a family move in soon .. she so wants to see them in her garden too. Girl I dropped an e-mail for ya' : )

Cassie it is such a treat to have them and they are amazing little creatures ! I get to see how truly remarkable they are close up and I heard the babies calling to the parents this afternoon .. they are so sweet : ) I hope you have a family move in VERY soon too : )
have a great SSS weekend girl !

Balisha said...

My little Wrens always go to the house with the metal roof. I thought it was just for show...and then they took up residence there. Maybe they like the sound of the rain on the roof :)
Balisha

genie said...

It is obvious from these shots that your garden is heaven for all of your birds. Have an entire family there with the babies must be wonderful. I, too, get up at 5AM, but sadly have no birds to talk to...only my frogs..and I have lots of them. We chat on a daily basis.

Lola said...

Oh I love this little bird but sadly I have not seen one here. The little wrens are busy still. I love to watch them. They built a nest in a pot on my potting table but something got the little eggs that were in it. One day they were there then the next they were gone. I was so disappointed. I had shown the eggs to GGS. Sad.

Ralph said...

We all seem to hate bugs, yet we have to consider - what would the birds eat without creepy bugs and winged pests? My friend that sets up our tomato and pepper plants has a big garden and totally organic. As is ours. Pesticides make for bad eatin', person or bird...

The little birdies in your yard are stunning. They didn't sense danger with the garden proprietress. so they didn't mind your photo intrusions. So nicely captured!

Beverley Baird said...

What lovely shots of the chickadees! We mostly have robins and doves and lots of starlings>
Great shadows for the week!

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

What a nice treat to have them nesting in your garden. I love chickadees. One of their spring songs seems to say, "hey, baby, baby." I think it is so cute. :)

Rebecca said...

It was nice to have you visit MY place. (But don't be embarrassed that it's taken you so long....I'm equally embarrassed that I'm not as familiar with my plant names as "real" gardeners are!) The beautiful purple clematis I have was here at the house when we moved in. We moved it to its present location a few years ago and it is as beautiful against the rustic fence as it was in front beside our beige siding.

I wonder if WE could tempt some chickadees to our yard??? I'm glad yours have settled in and made themselves at home at your place!

Spadoman said...

Chika dee dee dee. I love their songs. We have them too. The feeders are active all year here at Spadoville. My post today is about the mourning doves that have taken to my back deck. The blue jays and cardinals vie for a place at many of the feeding 'tables' I have in the yards, both front and back of the house. The crows just visit and yap, but I know they are talking to me.
I love how you care for the wildlife. That is so very admirable.

Much Peace sent your way

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Balisha that is such a cute thought! That they enjoy the sound of the rain on a metal roof .. and heaven knows we have had lots of rain for them to listen to ! haha

Genie I am so jealous that you have those amazing creatures .. frogs are so wonderful to listen to .. in fact I ordered a CD with nature sounds that includes lots of frog sounds and loons : ) I love them to bits : )

Lola that is sad something got to the eggs .. and having them so close to you must have been a thrill! One year I found a perfect little nest and eggs in one of my ornamental grasses .. I meant to put it away (it had been deserted) in the shed to keep it and forgot .. the bad weather wore it apart .. I wish I could have kept it : )

Thank you so much Ralph : ) I enjoyed seeing those vintage cars, they are beautiful!
Yes we all seem to hate bugs but they do serve a huge purpose in the chain of life don't they ? I have been trying for years to have butterflies go through the whole stages of life but I get to the caterpillar and they run away from home and I never see the cocoon and the butterfly emerge .. I think it may be a conspiracy ? LOL

Thanks Bev : ) your pretty pick flowers were just gorgeous ! we all need some pink in our lives : )
We have robins and mourning doves and those starlings flock in some times too .. but the chickadees were a complete surprise that we love : )

Ms S isn't that too funny how we interpret their calls ? I love them to bits but this morning I didn't get the usual visit so I am a bit worried .. I hope they are just sleeping in ? haha

Rebecca so many times a plant's name slips my mind I get frustrated with myself .. plants have so many common names and then true botanical names , you would think we could remember one of them ? LOL
That clematis is so pretty .. I wonder if it is a Jackmanii, they are very hardy and beautiful !
I hope you have chickadees take up residence too : )

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Joe your comment was hanging in cyber space some where ! LOL
I enjoyed your adventure of the mystery shadow (I could almost smell the coffee too ! LOL) .. All pirates must have their yardarm and if the birds enjoy it too ? all the better!
They speak to us each and everyone in their own way don't they ? wink wink

Arija said...

What a wonderful chickadee post with plenty of shadows everywhere.
Three weeks will pass in a when you only allow positive thoughts into your head. Remember, all thoughts are your own, you are the boss and when the other kind try to muscle in there is no use trying to push them out again, it is much easier to replace them by counting your blessings. That also lifts your spirits.

RPS77 said...

Those are lovely pictures of the chickadees, and of your garden in the previous posts. I've been a lot more negligent about posting than you have - I'm amazed you get as many good photos to post as you do!

There are lots of birds around my house - chickadees, sparrows, robins, cardinals, doves, crows - but I don't have the patience or the skill to get good photos of them. Right now I'm restricted to plants, which don't move or fly away!

Anonymous said...

What fun it would be to watch them! Such pretty shots.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Arija thank you so much for your kind words and wisdom : ) I appreciate it.
Yes .. i too believe that we have much more potential and control than we realize with our "minds" so I do count my blessings and try very hard to stay on that road : )

RP : ) you made me giggle about the plants not being able to move so they are better subject matter to photograph ! Now how true is that!
I was just lucky to catch these pictures .. it took a long time because these amazing little birds are so QUICK ! You too will find patience some day to keep an eye out for the opportunity .. it all falls into place faster than you think it can : )

Thank you Joan they are such sweet interesting birds you can't help but be amazed by them : )