Almost A Full House The temperature is still seesawing, but most of the migrating birds have reached us on their usual schedule. The Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) have finally settled in one of the bird boxes and have started building their nest despite harassment from the House sparrows. We really have to keep an eye on this one to make sure that the sparrows don’t … Continue reading Back From Wintering
Enjoying The Hospitality Winter temperature has finally matched the season and there is not much of anything out there. Snow has not yet paid a visit. The birds have picked most of the seeds off the buds I left in intact for them: Echinacea, Black-eyed Susan, Goldenrod… So now they enjoy the additional food we put out for them. On cold days they can enjoy a heated birdbath too. We … Continue reading Birds of Winter
Crucial For A Harsh Winter I spent most of New Year’s Day watching birds in our garden. It was cold outside so I mostly just watched them through the glass of the patio door. I took the camera out for only half an hour at a time, until I felt numbness creeping into my fingers and toes. Since there wasn’t any snow on the ground, though it was very … Continue reading Birds And Water
And Snow, Right On Schedule Today is the official first day of winter and it has been snowing lightly on and off all day. It’s very peaceful and quiet outside, the only sound the birds singing. The birds are the only bright colors in the garden at this time and without them it’s a plain brown and gray everywhere we look. We couldn’t fill the feeders … Continue reading First Day Of Winter
And More To Come A snow storm hit us again today, starting about 5:00 AM. It was very peaceful because no one was out, the town plows didn’t bother to come around early and not a snow blower in sight. It was the type with big fluffy flakes falling down early on then became very light rain before stopping in late afternoon. It dumped close … Continue reading Snowed In
It’s a Time to Care For Friends We’ve been having a roller coaster weather this year and December temperature around here rages from 60º F to 18º F which is a pretty wide gap. We had icy rain yesterday and snow today, haven’t seen the sun in the last couple of days. Weather like this raise my concern for my avian friends in the neighborhood. … Continue reading From an Icy Rain To Snow
…And The Birds Are Still Happy I checked on our vegetable garden early last week and was happy to see the garlic I put in last October came up. The Daffodils and tulips have also pushed themselves above the soil. But Mother Nature doesn’t seem to give up on winter just yet, she dumped a whole load of snow on us again last Friday. The … Continue reading Another Snow Storm
When Nothing Blooms Outside Winter. I have a love-hate relationship with winter. I love winter best when it’s snowing and its aftermath. The snow wipes out the sad look of bare branches and turns the world picturesque with dull gray turning to glistening white. The quietness, since the snow absorbs sound so effectively, renders the world peaceful too. There is not much I can do … Continue reading Birds of Winter
Petals and Wings 