Bird Feeders, Great Blue Heron

Let's start off with a pair of cardinals at a feeder. The female is not as brightly colored, an advantage when she is on the nest and does not want to be spotted by predators. 

From my window, I can see across the lake but if I want to be certain that a large bird is a Great Blue Heron, I have to look through binoculars or, more likely, through the zoom on my Nikon. 

I like to watch him and he likes to watch for fish.

This red feeder and the first one in this post are both supposed to be squirrel-proof. The first one has done well so far.

B

This squirrel figured out how to get some seed. Looking closely at these two pictures, I see that the squirrel had apparently loosened a wire that acts as a spring to close the feeder when a certain amount of weight was on it. This afternoon I found a little more damage. The long screw on the lower right of the picture with the gold finch has now fallen inside the feeder. That will be a nuisance to fix.

It's almost time to stop feeding the birds anyway. Bears are likely to come through the yard in the spring and they are even harder on feeders than squirrels are.

My final image today is a Photoshopped goose. I used layers and filters to make it look artsy.

Sharing with Caturday Art, I'd Rather Be Birdin' and Saturday Critters.