The weather is lovely on this September day, and a flock of Robins is passing through the yard, with lots of young taking baths. It is nice to see the pond used again after some very quiet weeks. All cams are back online too, you can watch on my website ostdrossel.com or on my Birdsy channels. #birds #birdsofMastodon #Ostdrossel #nature

With this fantastic garden season,
nature is abundantly full of seeds, grains and fruit. This and the fact that fall migration has begun makes for slim pickings when it comes to birdwatching at the moment, at least here. There is hardly any visitor apart from some MoDos, Blue Jays and the occasional hummingbird. A good time for some maintenance and preps for the colder weather. Livecams will be down for a couple of days, and here are some recent hummers to hold you over. #birds #Ostdrossel

It is still hot outside, the crickets are belting their heart out, the glow bugs and bats are feasting, and we are having burgers for dinner. Soaking in all that's left of the summer. Happy #LaborDay weekend! #nature #skies #pureMichigan #Ostdrossel

I had to 😆 Sound on! (Video is too big for Masto, so a link.)
https://www.tiktok.com/@ostdrossel/video/7273627883267050794?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7253258983694698026
#animals #wildlife #groundhog #Murmeltier #AlanAlanAlan #WalkontheWildSide #nature #funny #Ostdrossel

This is the high time of #molting, and the Blue Jays are are looking a bit rough. But new feathers are emerging, and I always love to see the different individual ways in which they do. Plus, the ragged look makes for some interesting photos. #birds #birdsofMastodon #corvids #Ostdrossel #nature

Where there's bird seed, there will also be #critters, and the #Chipmunks are one of my favorite. They just make me laugh. They are tough to get good photos of with my setup because they move so fast, but I got lucky with this one 😆 #nature #wildlife #Ostdrossel

I am happy to report that I am seeing #hummingbirds! The feeders are getting visited frequently and by several individuals. You can watch them on my website or on birdsy.com. I am also trying to snap some photos too, and here are two from yesterday. #birds #birdsofMastodon #Ostdrossel #nature

Behold! 😄 #nature is amazing! #animals #Ostdrossel #Fridayvibes

We've had so much rain and storming that I didn't put the photo cams out, but the Birdsy cams are all rolling. This was earlier today, #Orioles are on the move but I am getting a nice and steady stream. They don't like to share! #birds #birdsofMastodon #pureMichigan #fallmigration #birdwatching #nature #Ostdrossel

They are so few this year, I am extra happy about every single sighting. And I love it that they keep choosing this feeder. Listen to the characteristic hum ❤️Happy #Monday, everyone!
#birds #birdsofMastodon #hummingbird #nature #Ostdrossel

End of August also is the main time for #molting, be it young birds changing to adult feathers or adult birds getting rid of the old and growing new. Everybody looks disheveled, and I kind of love it. (More photos on my website.) #birds #birdsofMastodon #nature #Ostdrossel

Putting a cam on the ground can yield lots of fun photos but it also means the camera is not critter proof. Here are some from the last couple of days. A #Chipmunk, a #Groundhog and another adorable #squirrel. I love the Groundhog teeth 😆
#wildlife #nature #happiness #Ostdrossel

#Hummingbirds have been absent all season, & now in August I get glimpses. This may be the only photo I get this year. I used to see them from May until September. I know others have similar experiences, and I hope they somehow can recover, this is not normal. #birds #Ostdrossel

I like this time of the season when the young birds start to get adult feathers and look a bit patchworky. Young Redwinged Blackbirds are very pretty with their peachy faces and pink beak corners. The last bird is older but also still changing. #birds #birdsofMastodon #blackredyellow #nature #birdwatching #Ostdrossel

Molting season is here, and many birds are shedding part of their feathers in various spots to grow new ones. They do this now because their skin gets exposed, and warm weather makes being partially naked a lot easier. I always love this part of the year because nobody molts in the same way and the textures and colors are pretty cool to see. Yes, those awkward holes are their ears!
#birds #birdsofMastodon #CountGrackula #BlueJay #corvids #nature #Ostdrossel

The #Grackles are also still around, and some are still feeding babies, but molting has also begun, giving some of them theb est and most dramatic looks. As if they couldn’t already do that with their plumage fully intact!⁠
#birds #birdstagram #CountGrackula #pureMichigan #birding #nature #birdlovers #Ostdrossel #photography⁠

I always like it when birds look distinguishable, have odd markings or behavior that I recognize. This Red-winged Blackbird seems to be growing new wings on his shoulders, and I think it looks really cool and dramatic how the sheaths are slowly turning into real feathers. He did like to present himself properly, too.
#birds #birdsofMastodon #pureMichigan #molting #birdwatching #Ostdrossel

The MoDos also had plenty of offspring, and it seems like they all know right from the start how to pose. In a weird kind of way, the youngsters almost seem more serious (first birb) 😆⁠
#birds #birdsofMastodon #birdsofMichigan #birdsofnorthamerica #borbs #MoDo #dove #birdwatching #Ostdrossel #birdphoto⁠

Baby Blue Jays are all over the yard right now, and I love to watch them. This is fun time because they are all kinds of ages, some already quite independent while others look like fresh out the nest. What they all have in common is that they are super adorable and they all look like they came just out of the laundry.
#birds #corvids #birdsofMastodon #nature #Ostdrossel

I am still trying to catch up with photos but in the meantime, check out a new cam that I set up temporarily by the leek blooms. The insects love them and there is a lot of activity going on. I am not sure how much of it the Birdsy AI will pick up but watching the stream alone is fun. And who knows, a Hummingbird may visit too! You can watch the livestream here: ostdrossel.com/livestream or on my channel on birdsy.com.⁠
#nature #wildlife #garden #insects #pollinators #pureMichigan #Ostdrossel