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William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message

Male red Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, songbird eating sunflower seed off a rock in Athens, Georgia, USA. Cardinals, in the family Cardinalidae, are passerine birds found in North and South America. They are also known as cardinal-grosbeaks and cardinal-buntings. They are robust, seed-eating birds with strong bills. They are typically associated with open woodland.

Sunday, 3:29 PM - ​I made a Creation Speaks presentation this morning focusing on Genesis 1:3, “And God said… “ The second half of the presentation, called Wild Designs, featured my recently purchased stuffed armadillo. The kids loved it!
 
In between the morning and evening church services, it was a bit of a somber, cloudy afternoon. The bold gold of an American Goldfinch drew my eye as we ate lunch.
 
Placing some black oil sunflower seed on a nearby rock, I laid on my belly underneath the swing set in the backyard. Of course, all of the birds I saw while eating lunch had now vanished when my lens was present.
 
Having nothing else to do, I laid there for almost an hour waiting for the birds. The only avians to make appearances were a Chipping Sparrow, a male Northern Cardinal, and a female Eastern Towhee. Being within just 20 feet and using a 600mm lens provided some great close up shots. 

The Goldfinch that had originally drawn me out birding appeared only briefly high up in a tree and backlit against the cloudy sky. Perhaps one day I’ll get a good Goldfinch shot.

Clarke County, Georgia, USA
Mostly cloudy, high 56°, low 50°
Sunrise 7:10 AM, sunset 8:00 PM

Carolina Wren, Thryothorus ludovicianus, songbird eating seeds off the ground in Athens, Georgia, USA. In summer it can seem that every patch of woods in the eastern United States rings with the rolling song of the Carolina Wren. The Carolina wren Thryothorus ludovicianus is a common species of wren that is a resident in the eastern half of the United States of America, the extreme south of Ontario, Canada, and the extreme northeast of Mexico.

Female Eastern Towhee bird eating seed, songbird eating sunflower seed off a rock in Athens, Georgia, USA. Females have chocolate brown heads as opposed to the male black pluage. The eastern towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus is a large New World sparrow. Formerly this bird and the spotted towhee were considered a single species, the rufous-sided towhee. Their breeding habitat is brushy areas across eastern North America.

Carolina Wren, Thryothorus ludovicianus, songbird eating seeds off the ground in Athens, Georgia, USA. In summer it can seem that every patch of woods in the eastern United States rings with the rolling song of the Carolina Wren. The Carolina wren Thryothorus ludovicianus is a common species of wren that is a resident in the eastern half of the United States of America, the extreme south of Ontario, Canada, and the extreme northeast of Mexico.

Chipping Sparrow, Spizella passerina, songbird eating bird seed off the ground in Athens, Georgia, USA. Chipping Sparrows are common across North America wherever trees are interspersed with grassy openings. Their loud, trilling songs are one of the most common sounds of spring woodlands and suburbs.

Chipping Sparrow, Spizella passerina, songbird eating bird seed off the ground in Athens, Georgia, USA.

Chipping Sparrow bird eating seeds, Athens GA, USA

Chipping Sparrow, Spizella passerina, songbird eating bird seed off the ground in Athens, Georgia, USA.

Chipping Sparrow, Spizella passerina, songbird eating bird seed off the ground in Athens, Georgia, USA.

Male red Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, songbird eating sunflower seed off a rock in Athens, Georgia, USA. Cardinals, in the family Cardinalidae, are passerine birds found in North and South America. They are also known as cardinal-grosbeaks and cardinal-buntings. They are robust, seed-eating birds with strong bills. They are typically associated with open woodland.

Male red Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, songbird eating sunflower seed off a rock in Athens, Georgia, USA.