This is really for the birds

One of the gray jays perches in a spruce for a moment.

It's just not fair. I had to come out for a day to do some business, pay some bills, restock a little bit (and maybe see Star Wars :). So there I am puttering about, organizing, packing, watching some football and I look out the window and there not one but two unusual species of birds at the recently restocked feeders.

Neither is unusual for Alaska or for this area but they haven't been around my feeders very often recently. The first were redpolls. After almost breaking the bank buying feed for them three winters ago I hadn't seen many over the past two. Today a dozen or so attacked the feeders and the spilled seed on the ground. Most of the feeders had been empty when I pulled in last night, but a friend had come by and filled one sometime while I was gone and I filled the rest before daybreak and the birds were back when the sun came up. Chickadees and nuthatches of course, and the hairy woodpecker, but the ground was moving with the rolling carpet of redpolls pecking about at seed dumped by the others.

There  are several redpolls in this picture. I am too tired 

to count, and they were too spooky.

Then I noticed two larger birds poking about as well and flying up to the feeders. These were Canada or gray jays. They've come by the bird bath in the summer but I've never seen them at the feeders in winter. They stayed for much of the afternoon along with the redpolls and the regulars so there was quite a lot of action in the yard.

That's where the unfairness comes in. You see I had brought my camera gear out rather than leave it at the cabin on the off chance somebody might break in. So with all the action in the yard there was no way I wouldn't try at least one picture. Right, just like the potato chips. So there went about two hours I could have been packing and napping in front of televised football games. Maybe I should just close the curtains. Nah. Back to the mountain tomorrow.