In a short time–twenty seconds–I saw a Carolina wren, a brown creeper, the ubiquitous titmouse and a red bellied woodpecker–all from my window. They were feeding on the birdseed I put out on the ground plus the suet cake placed next to the trunk of my large white pine tree. The woodpecker took a chunk of fat from the suet cake and disappeared. I could never understand why it is called a red bellied woodpecker. The red is on its head not its belly. It is a big magnificent woodpecker I never saw before I started putting out suet cakes regularly.
The small sized downy woodpeckers are more frequent visitors than the red bellied woodpeckers. Sometimes you can see two or three downy woodpeckers at one time although they maintain their space between each other. They march up and down the pine tree stiffly like they are at attention. The Carolina wren is a big wren as far as wrens goes–maybe the biggest and feeds on the ground as well at the suet.
The brown creeper is a nondescript little brown bird with a curved beak that does just that creep up and down the trunk of the pine tree. It occasionally can be found on the ground but usually is found on the trunk of the tree going up and down the tree. Of the four birds, it comes here the least. These birds mentioned can be found here all year around.
Every once in awhile I spot a new bird and become excited. The latest was a red-cockaded woodpecker that came every day for a few days although I saw no red on it. It took several visits before I could make a positive identification. It is a midsized woodpecker between the size of a downy and red bellied woodpecker. I had never seen one before. Watching birds from my large living room window gives me much pleasure.
Tags: bird feeding, bird seed, bird-watching, birds, brown creeper, Carolina wren, downy woodpecker, large window, red bellied woodpecker, red-cockaded woodpecker, suet cake, titmouse, white pine tree, woodpeckers
Posted in beauty, birds, knowledge&learning, local, nature, seasons, time |
The hummingbirds that come to my feeder never fail to amaze me. There is a steady stream of them. The other day I actually saw two feeding at the same time. There is such diversity in nature. Take birds for example. There are all sizes and all are colored differently. Woodpeckers and nuthatches hug the trunk of our large pine tree and seldom can be seen on the ground. The cardinals feed very warily on the ground and come in pairs. And occasionally there is a surprise like an indigo bunting or some other bird I usually don’t see. I keep a bird journal and note unusual visitors. All I do is make sure the feeders are always filled and from my large living room window watch the parade of birds come and go all day.
Tags: bird feeder, bird journal, bird-watching, birds, cardinal, diversity in nature, God, hummingbird, indigo bunting, large window, nuthatches, pine tree, watch the birds come and go, woodpecker
Posted in beauty, birds, God, knowledge&learning, life, local, nature, time, wisdom |
The hummingbird was feisty. Despite at least an half a dozen bees who were hovering over the feeder, it was determined to sip nectar. Its rear feathers expanded fan-like in an aggressive motion in response to the “invaders” to its personal space. It was determined to get its share of sugar water. I watched this scene from my large living room window with a bit of fascination. The hummingbird would not be deterred by the swarming bees. It was going to get its drink anyway.
Tags: bees, bird feeder, bird feeding, birds, feathers, hummingbird, hummingbird was feisty, large window, nectar, sugar water, swarming bees, watched from my window
Posted in birds, knowledge&learning, local, nature, time |
It is a day to stay in. No doctors appointments. Nothing I need to buy. There is plenty of food in the house. There is no reason to go out. I am enjoying the flurries and the swarms of birds I can see out my large dining room window. The first thing I did after dressing was put out more sunflower seed.
I am almost finished with my morning coffee. The hour, though, is late morning. I am about to start the coal stove. Everything is set: there is wood I collected and coal in buckets. I just have to play with it.
Last night I was up in the wee hours (1:20AM) reading a book I could not put down (“The Soloist”). It was made into a movie I wanted to see and could not find. I happened to be in the library and was looking for the movie to rent but they did not have it.
It never occurred to me until then to read the book. The prose was scintillating. I was riveted by the writing and could not put it down last night until I finished it. Now my wife is also reading “The Soloist”.
Tags: "The Soloist", bird feeding, bird-watching, birds, book, coal stove, firewood, large window, library, morning coffee, movie, plenty of food, reading, snow flurries, stay indoors, sunflower seed
Posted in beauty, birds, local, mental health, relationships, time |
