12.5.24 Eagle Creek Park, Indianapolis, IN

 From 12.5.24-12.11.24 my father, brother and I drove from Chicago, IL to St. Marks, FL and back. This is part of Day 1. 

See all of the Florida trip posts at the Florida trip 2024 page.   

A Tufted Titmouse standing in brown fallen leaves. There are a few sprigs of grass remaining. It's body is facing left, but it's looking almost right at you, just a little down

A Tufted Titmouse standing on lots of birdseed, including corn and sunflower seeds. It's facing left and looking a little off from left.

Two Tufted Titmice at a stone human-made water feature. Freezing water flows over a shelf of rock, with lots of ice forming from the nearly sub-zero temperatures it was. One Titmouse is standing on the ice, drinking some of the flowing water, while the other watches from a higher rock perch.

A Tufted Titmouse clutching the corner of a wire cage suet feeder. There's only a small bit of suet left, but the Titmouse looks confidant it can get a few bites. It's crest is standing up, and it's at a 45-degree angle to the feeder.

A Tufted Titmouse at a seed feeder. It has a black oil sunflower seed clutched in it's beak. It looks ready for takeoff, with it's crest slicked back.

A Tufted Titmouse and a Carolina Chickadee at the water feature. The Titmouse is standing on a rock on the left and looking up. The Chickadee is standing on the ice, about to drink some water.

A Tufted Titmouse in a bush. The branches are bare and brambly, and there's a little frost on one of them. The Titmouse is standing in the open, crest half-raised, and beak half-open.

A White-breasted Nuthatch clinging to the side of a tree, back facing towards you, but head turned to point it's beak at you. The background is blue sky with bare branches weaving across it.

A White-breasted Nuthatch on a Sapsucker-hole-riddled tree, body facing down. It's head is cocked to inspect something near you.

A White-breasted Nuthatch about to spook a serenely poofy-looking Carolina Chickadee off of the seed feeder they're both standing on.

A White-breasted Nuthatch at the seed feeder, with a seed in it's beak. It's leaning off of the feeder, about to take off.

A White-breasted Nuthatch on the seed feeder. It's in a funny position: feed grasping the feeder ledge, body off the edge, head stretched almost to the seed, and crouched down.

A White-breasted Nuthatch on an acorn-shaped peanut feeder. It's holding on by the perfectly sized metal bar it the bottom, designed to let small birds pull peanuts from the feeder while upside-down.

A White-breasted Nuthatch in the dimming light. It's perched on a horizontal branch, leaning forward inquisitively. It's fluffed up from the cooling air.

A Carolina Chickadee perched on a small, curving branch that splits from a larger, straight stick. 

A bright male Northern Cardinal perched near the edge of a branch that hangs down from the top-right corner of the photo. There are a surprising amount of green leaves on the branches in the background.

A House Sparrow and a male Northern Cardinal standing near each other on a wooden fence.

A male and a female Northern Cardinal stand on either side of the seed feeder. They are separated by the rectangular middle part that holds more seeds and supports the roof that shelters the seeds and birds. The male is on the left side, and the female is on the right. They are both looking down at the seeds.

A Carolina Chickadee and the same female Northern Cardinal stand on opposite sides of the feeder. The Cardinal is still on the right side, and the Chickadee is on the left. The Chickadee watches you, while the Cardinal leans over to try to see the Chickadee. The image of a Chickadee is engraved on the plastic middle section.

One Carolina Chickadee stands on the side of the seed feeder facing you (the left side) while the tip of the tail of another bird pokes out from the other. The tail might belong to a Chickadee, a Tufted Titmouse, or even a White-breasted Nuthatch. Another Chickadee flies in to the right side, wings spread and landing gear (feet) down.

A Dark-eyed Junco on the ground, underneath a scraggly bush with bright red berries on it. Brown leaves sparsely cover the gravel it's standing on. The Junco is eating something, though what that might be is unclear.

A Blue Jay standing on lots of birdseed. It faced towards you, head cocked inquisitively.

A Blue Jay perches at the top of a scraggly tree, whose thin branches flare out in all directions from where the Blue Jay stands. It's fluffed up it's feathers against the cold, and it's looking at you.

Four Hooded Mergansers float on the gray-blue water of the reservoir at Eagle Creek Park. The all look in different directions.

7 Great Blue Herons and a few Mallards huddle on the shore of a small island on the reservoir. All of the Great Blue Herons have curled their necks in and fluffed up. There are some bare bush-like trees on the island.