Lewis’s Woodpecker & Rose-Breasted Grosbeak In A Spring Garden

Welcome to the 277th Metamorphosis Monday!

Recently my friend, Bonnie, who lives in the beautiful state of Oregon, shared a few pics with me via e-mail of the wonderful view from her deck. I don’t have any “Before” winter pics to share but the “After” is stunning!

Is this not gorgeous?! Spring has sprung in the state of Oregon and it’s absolutely beautiful! The wisteria running along the fence in Bonnie’s back yard is in full bloom!

Wisteria in Bloom 4

 

And look who’s perched atop the wisteria…do you see him?

Wisteria in Bloom

 

It’s the harbinger of spring, a big, happy robin showing off his pretty rust-colored belly.

Wisteria in Bloom

 

Doesn’t this look like something right out of a magazine?

Wisteria in Bloom

 

Lewis’s Woodpecker

This guy has been visiting Bonnie’s back yard, too. Do you recognize him? I didn’t, I’ve never seen a bird like this, ever

Bonnie looked him up and found out he’s a Lewis’s Woodpecker. Do you have these where you live? We definitely don’t have them here in Georgia.

The Lewis’s Woodpecker was named for Meriweather Lewis who first spotted him back in 1805. I read they used to be widespread in Oregon but are now mostly found in “the white oak-ponderosa pine belt east of Mt. Hood.” I love how it looks like he’s wearing a fluffy shawl across his shoulders and back.

Lewis's Woodpecker

 

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

While we’re talking birds, I had my first ever sighting of a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak at my feeder this spring. I’ve only seen them in my bird identification books up until now.

Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

 

Isn’t he just beautiful?!

Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

 

Here’s how the markings look on their back.

Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

 

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have the prettiest snowy white belly and that showy rose-colored breast…a gorgeous bird! He looks kind of fierce here with his beak open but it’s open because he was crunching on sunflower seeds.  🙂

Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

 

This has been an exciting spring! Remember this guy…the Pileated Woodpecker who visited my suet feeder. He comes back almost every day now. I purchased a much longer suet feeder (not shown) so he has some place to rest his tail when he visits…Pileated Woodpeckers need that since they are such large birds.

Pileated Woodpecker eating suet

 

Have you had any first-time bird sightings in your area? Do you get as excited as I do the first time you see a bird you’ve only seen in books before? 🙂

Looking forward to all the Before and Afters linked for this Met Monday!

One on sidebar

 

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Comments

  1. I really enjoyed these bird photos, Susan. I had a new bird yesterday that I had to look up, too. It was a summer tanager, or Cooper’s tanager it’s also called. So pretty!

    • Oh, I need to look that one up, Dawn…not familiar with it. I get sooo excited when a new bird visits! I should start making note of it and jotting down the date, would be interesting to see when they tend to visit.

  2. Great bird sightings – I love it when new ones are seen. Excited about the links already – I can tell everyone’s getting ready for summer by all the red, white & blue I’m seeing, and I’m doing the same in the sunroom. Have a great week.
    Rita C at Panoply

  3. Be Still My Heart….that wisteria! The robin perching on it makes it picture perfect. I saw my first Rose-breasted Grosbeak this week eating sunflower seed at our feeder. I didn’t know what kind of bird it was until I saw your photos now, thanks for identifying him for me 🙂

  4. My 95 year old aunt we take care of just loves birds. I’m sharing this pictures with her when I go see her today. Thanks for sharing such pretty photos, and for hosting the party.

    Shannon ~ bohemianjunktion.com

  5. As a child I was so taken by the beauty of wisteria, I said I was going to name my first daughter Wisteria.

    • 🙂 Did you? That would be a pretty name! Come to think of it, there are a lot of names that are flowers: Rose, Violet…I even had a friend named, Pansy when I was a child.

  6. Penny @ The Comforts of Home says

    What gorgeous bird photos! I shared a link of my backyard makeover. Thanks for hosting!

  7. Pam ~ CC says

    “Someplace to rest his tail…..”

    Awww, Susan, you’re just too sweet. 🙂

    • lol It’s not that…Pileated Woodpeckers literally can’t visit if they don’t have a place for their tail…so they make suet feeders just for the bigger birds that have a longer tail prop…that’s really what they are called. 🙂 I think the only reason he was able to visit when I had the suet feeder with the shorter tail prop was because I had it hanging against a pergola post. It it had just been hanging from a hook, he wouldn’t have been able to brace his tail to feed. I should have explained that better in the post. 🙂

  8. That is exciting. I love seeing birds I haven’t seen before! I’ll have to check my book to see if we get them in Texas. Congratulations. Your wisteria is gorgeous.

  9. Isn’t it amazing how many different birds there are and all their small details that makes them different? Nature is just so fascinating. I love that gorgeous wisteria vine. Have always wanted one but our winters are just too harsh, I think. Thanks for hosting, Susan!

  10. I’ve been watching the birds come and go in my backyard every day, and I’m always so happy to see something new. Last week we saw an Indigo Bunting for the first time, and we are happy to see the Eastern Bluebirds coming more and more regularly into our yard. I’d love to see that Grosbeak that you have, he’s so pretty! Thanks for sharing, and thanks for hosting today’s party.

  11. Thanks so much for the party!!

    Hugs,
    Debbie

  12. Beautiful Wisteria!Love your beautiful photos of those sweet birds! Thanks so much for hosting!

  13. Breath-taking view Bonnie shared! Her wisteria is stunning, too – I can almost smell it from here. I enjoyed the pictures of the feathered visitors – and the birds at your house, too. Thanks for sharing Bonnie’s pictures and for hosting Met Monday! 🙂

  14. Susan,
    Gorgeous views in your friend Bonnie’s garden!!!
    I’d never seen that type of woodpecker before.
    Ours, on the Prairie, are similar to yours at the suet feeder.
    Thanks for hosting Metamorphosis Monday each week!!!
    Fondly,
    Pat

  15. Such pretty bird pictures! Thanks for sharing them with us and for hosting this fun party!
    Blessings,
    Nici

  16. Aren’t they the show stoppers! You can’t help but to notice them. I love wisteria, maybe it’s the light but that wisteria looks darker than we have. Thanks for hosting.

  17. Peggy Thal says

    Beautiful bird watching! We are enjoying all our birds in the backyard too. Love the hummingbirds and the large water birds that fly by. We just had a pair of eagles sit in a tree across the way. It was a beautiful site. Our bird Charlie (mocking bird) is back from nesting. He was a very busy guy and now he is back to singing for us. He is very possessive of our backyard and pool area. We knew him when he was just a newly hatched baby. He fell in our pool and I rescued him and wrapped him in a towel . Then placed him in the sun until mama came back. He never left. We even help him chase the crows away. We are a little crazy! – Thanks for sharing your beautiful birds.

    • Awww, Peggy that is so sweet…I would be doing the same thing! 🙂 I had a mocking bird once and loved hearing him sing…wish he would come back!

    • Peggy, I had a mockingbird singing last night! I loved it! I tried to record some but my phone didn’t do a very good job…he was a little too far away, I think. Love all the different songs they sing!

  18. katelaineransom says

    Wonderful pictures! Love the Wisteria and the birds are beautiful! Our garden is hosting several nests – the Mockingbirds are very protective of their babies – I so want to get close enought to see them!
    I appreciate you hosting and hope you have a blessed week!
    Kathy

  19. Hi Susan! I live in Ohio, and recently saw two birds new to my feeder on the same morning. One was the Rose-breasted Grosbeak; there were two males. I did not see females; according to my bird book they look like large sparrows, so I might not have noticed them if they were there. The other was a Baltimore Oriole pair, male and female. Thanks for sharing the photos!

  20. I have heard woodpeckers in my yard before, but never seen one up close! Thanks for the pretty party! 🙂 Have a super week!

  21. Thanks so much for the party – and for identifying a bird for me LOL – I took a photo of a bird yesterday ( your Robin’s cousin ) and didn’t know what it was ( how embarrassing )
    Would give anything to have your wisteria – perfection !
    Have a wonderful week
    Hugs,
    Suzan

  22. Oh, that wisteria is gorgeous! We’ve got several kinds of woodpeckers that visit my feeder, but not Lewis’. I could sit outside for hours watching the birds come and go!

  23. I love my pileateds, but they stay far away from my feeders, but live in the woody area of my property. You got to see one up close, lucky you.

    I see a rose breasted grosbeak once a year for about 2 days, then they move on. I want them to stay longer in central VA

    Thanks for sharing all the lovely pics.
    Gail

  24. I loved seeing all the pretty birds and the beautiful Oregon scenery. When we moved back to Alabama from Texas, we were fascinated with all the birds we have had in the yard of the three houses where we have lived. I bought a couple of books, and we started watching them for real I have never seen that beautiful Grosbeak.

  25. Rattlebridge Farm says

    Love your birding posts. The wisteria is heavenly–I’m going to look for some, as I know the birds will love it. Hope you are doing well!

  26. Love the woodpecker, never saw that one before!! The grosbeaks are always so beautiful. And that wisteria….wow!!! Yes, I get excited over the birds visiting this time of year……

  27. Hi Susan, The birds are beautiful! Thanks for hosting.
    xx,
    Sherry

  28. I get the Rose Breasted Grosbeaks too and they recently arrived. I’m lucky that I also get the Pileated Woodpeckers, several other Woodpeckers, Cardinals, various Finches, Robins Chickadees, Nuthatches and Orioles. My biggest thrill though has been the recent return of the Indigo Buntings. I used to see them and then I didn’t for years. They’re a pretty blue like a Eastern Bluebird but not as large. I posted about it last week. The pictures of the Lewis woodpecker are adorable- I hope my son can spot one some day since he lives out there now.

  29. Hi Susan,
    We have a woody woodpecker in our yard too..I love how he sounds. Thank you for hosting the party I have joined in again.
    Have a sweet day, Elizabeth

  30. We don’t usually get such colorful birds around here, so I love when I see these pretty pictures! We did get a finch in the yard the other day, and I was so excited! My kids thought I was weird! 🙂 Thanks for hosting, Susan. 🙂

  31. Lynn Case says

    Oh my word — THAT VIEW!!!! And I love your bird pictures! Seeing your picture of the woodpecker made me think of the hole in your beautiful birdhouse. 🙁 I am thinking of getting a Lazy Hill birdhouse and have a question — do you think a birdhouse with multiple openings would prevent birds from laying eggs/hatching (thinking they wouldn’t like the “company” of other birds)? Would they just use the house for shelter? I know birds nest in one-holed bird houses but wondered about multiple holes? (I hope this makes sense?) I have a dog and I would hate for babies to hatch in the birdhouse and then Lily getting to them once they leave their nesting. 🙁

    • Lynn, check out this old post: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/mr-bluebird-on-my-shoulder/ and you can see the bluebirds nesting in the dovecote. I wondered the same thing but what the bluebirds do is they build false nest in the other cavities to deter other birds from building…but they just nest in one spot each season.
      Also, Lazy Hill Dovecote is really supposed to be more ornamental than anything but the bluebirds love nesting there every year…they don’t know it’s supposed to be ornamental. 🙂

      • Lynn Case says

        Thank you for replying! Shortly after I posted my comment, I found the older post about your bluebirds and felt really stupid. 😉 I have wanted the Dovecote house for many years – I have never had a bluebird at my house (I live in town) so maybe it will be okay? I am completely re-doing my backyard this summer and would like the dovecote to be the focal point.

        • You will love it! I absolutely love mine. When I got it, the paint job looked a bit thin so I painted it with my exterior house paint which is Sherwin Williams Duration and is supposed to be super duper good house paint. It’s held up beautifully except after being in the garden for many years, a woodpecker attacked the roof this past winter. 🙁 It has a giant hole in the roof right now…have to fix that. But that may never happen to yours.

  32. Such lovely birds! The photos are great. 😀

  33. oh Susan you take the best pictures….what a bunch of gorgeous birdies!

  34. SheilaG@Plum Doodles says

    Wow, beautiful pictures, Susan. Love the wisteria- I have never seen it in such a deep rich color. Thank you for hosting the party- I have posted our home tour- the house is finally presentable, just in time to put on the market. 😀

  35. Thanks for sharing my little Lewis’s Woodpecker, Susan! I love watching all the visitors that come to our feeders – mine and yours! Oh, and Mr. Lewis looked as though he needed to “prop” his tail too! 🙂

  36. realcoake says

    Thanks so much for hosting! Have a great day!
    KC

  37. Thank you for hosting this party Susan. I always learn so much from you.

  38. Thanks for sharing the incredible bird photos Susan! Wow! Thanks for the party too!

  39. Thank you so much!

    Big Texas Hugs,
    Susan and Bentley

  40. Two things I can look at all day, wisteria and birds…what lovely photos, Susan!

  41. I was excited this spring to see goldfinches and rose-breasted grosbeaks at my feeder for the first time here in central Illinois. I also have a suet feeder that attracts a variety of woodpeckers, but alas, something – maybe raccoons took the feeder during the night this past weekend.

  42. Hi Susan,
    Wanted to let you know that my sister started receiving your emails over the weekend, I however still haven’t, so I have been visiting daily the old fashioned way!

  43. Hi Susan. Love reading your bird posts. We were just in California and I spied an Acorn Woodpecker at the house we were staying in. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one before that sighting. Thanks so much for hosting and hope you have a wonderful week.
    K.

  44. Oh my, I love your bird photos and that Wisteria is beyond gorgeous! We don’t have much outdoor space here, but the kids are anxious to get a feeder up. Thanks so much for the party, Susan!

    Jeanette

  45. the bird photos and the wisteria photos are beautiful. Thanks for sharing them and hosting the party.

  46. I’ve never visited Oregon….on my list!! Great photos!! franki

  47. I love seeing your birds, Susan…not those ordinarily seen near me! Have a great week!…hugs…Debbie

  48. Thank you for sharing your beautiful pictures! We are in a drought where I live, so I love seeing the beautiful Spring pictures. Thanks for hosting too!
    Heather

  49. Hi Susan! I saw my first ever Rose-breasted Grosbeak this Spring too!!! Only once and my hubby saw him once. It was two weeks ago and sadly no sighting since. I live in Mid-Michigan, (Lansing area). Where are you? Thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures. ~Lori

    • Lori, that’s so exciting! I love in Georgia, just north of Atlanta. I’ve only seen one, too…must have been passing through as he migrates back toward the north. The pileated woodpecker comes every day now, several times a day…and there’s more than one. I saw one on the suet feeder today while hearing another in the woods behind the house. It may be a male and female. Just hope they don’t go for my house and only eat the suet. lol

  50. Sandra Garth says

    I get so excited when I see a robin for the time in spring. This year they had to play in the snow for a while because Mother Nature was still playing tricks on us. Love the bird pictures and I think I’ve seen a few of them in our yard.

    • Sandra, this has been one crazy winter for sure. I needed to turn on the heat in mid-May because we had temps in the 40s. I never did turn it on but it got chilly in this house! Glad your snow is gone, now!

  51. Just love your blog – I look forward to it every day. Found this on your Pinterest and wondered if you can you tell me the brand name of your bird feeder and where you got it? (the one with the photo of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak)

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