Black-Capped Chickadee

The featured bird of the day is another year-round resident. Males and females look identical. Unlike many birds that will stay on a feeder for a while, chickadees will grab a seed and fly to a nearby bush to eat it, so there is a lot of constant motion. They enjoy the oilers as well as suet. Unlike the obstinate downy woodpeckers, chickadees occupy our birdhouses for nesting every spring.

We use two heated birdbaths in the winter and this is the smaller one in the courtyard. It is not yet plugged in but will need to be very soon. The bit of green in the back ground is a rose bush and lavender. And the brown stuff...you know what that is; at least it is not white yet...

Edited: I should have clarified that although a bird may splash around once in a while on a milder day, in general, the birdbaths provide drinking water for the birds during the winter.