It was only a week ago our yard was completely snow covered. The temperature then rose. A week ago we would have dozens of birds feeding on the ground, sometimes, at one time several cardinals, and flocks of slate covered juncos among others. Now we don’t see so many. Since most of the snow melted the birds must have more opportunities to find food. We do see many goldfinch come to our feeders. It is that time of year for them. About the beginning of spring they come in flocks. They love sunflower seeds and are now coming to the sock I hung up filled with suet.

The birds are finally coming to my suet cage. I did move it further from the trunk of the white pine. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it. Maybe. I briefly had two Carolina wrens and a downy woodpecker on it. I, also, saw my first red bellied woodpecker feed on the suet. It came twice. I just got tired of sharing my suet with the squirrels. I would go through one suet cake a day sometimes. The suet cage was an unexpected Christmas gift from my wife. And she gave it early to me. I am delighted the birds are coming inside it to feed.

An hairy woodpecker came to our suet two times in the last three days.  It is one we don’t see too often.  It is marked just like a downy woodpecker only bigger.  There was no red on its head so it was a female.  Monday I was thrilled:  I not only saw my first robin of the season but also an hairy woodpecker.  At least, one hairy woodpecker is now aware of the suet I put out.

I put out all my birdseed.  I was out of all my different kinds–regular, sunflower, suet and thistle.  A nuthatch immediately found the birdseed (regular) on the platform I laid seed on.  I put fresh thistle for the goldfinch.  My wife said they all migrated away.  I suspected the thistle (which I had bought months ago) had gone stale.  I will see who is right.  I almost never run out of feed for them.  It was only a day so they were not out of feed too long.  Anyway, I now will continue to watch the visitors that come to my feeders.

We love the large pine tree outside our living room window, which is the center of attention.  I placed a suet cage right next to its trunk.  There are a steady stream of woodpeckers mostly downy who feed on the suet.  The squirrels also come.

The downy woodpeckers travel up and down its trunk seemingly at attention.  Only one bird is allowed to feed on the suet at one time.  The others make sure of that.  Sometimes there is as much as two or three downy woodpeckers on the trunk of the tree at one time.

Occasionally a red bellied woodpecker makes its entrance.  The sight of it makes me gasp.  It is a bigger woodpecker with an one inch red stripe that goes from the back of the top of its head to its nape of its neck (at least the male looks that way).  I had never seen one before and now they are regular visitors.

The white breasted nuthatch also likes the suet as well as the Carolina wrens who I have fallen in love with.  I did not know wrens could get that big.  Occasionally a cardinal will alight on one of its branches briefly.

We get occasional visits by the brown creeper who has a long curved beak and is a small brown colored bird who appropriately creeps up and down the pine’s trunk.  And these are only the birds we remember seeing.

This year a large branch was brought down by an ice storm which became our Christmas tree when I cut off part of it.  We used the rest of it for our tree.  It was one of the most beautiful trees we ever had lit up by several hundred multicolored lights.  Both of us love this tree and consider it to be our friend.

There were certain birds I never saw before I started feeding them.  A red bellied woodpecker was one.  I never saw a Carolina wren before.  Those are two birds that quickly come to mind.

There are others like a white breasted nuthatch who likes feeding on the suet I put out for the woodpeckers.  I never had a large living room window facing the yard before from where I can watch the birds come to and fro several bird feeders.

Our window faces a large white pine and there are bushes on the edge of the porch.  When the frost is ended I will put out sugar water and watch the daily parade and antics of the ruby throated hummingbirds feeding on them.

I consider myself lucky to have this situation.  I have always loved birds and I get a lot of pleasure of watching the steady stream of them.

There were lots of birds feeding in my yard in this storm.  I sprinkled some birdseed two and an half hours ago on the snow.  I counted about a dozen slate cover juncos feeding on the ground (my friend calls them appropriately snow birds).

I saw as many as three downy woodpeckers on the trunk of my large white pine tree at one time.  They do take turns feeding on the suet.  And of course there were the squirrels.  I did see “stumpy” a squirrel who is missing part of his tail.

A female cardinal made its appearance briefly.  And there was the occasional Carolina wren.  A little later I will toss a little more bird seed on the ground.  I do not want to waste any.

There still is some sunflower seeds on our porch not covered by snow.  The birds keep coming.  And I have my eyes open for any unusual visitors.

There is something comforting about a snowstorm and knowing there is no where else to go and all you can do is enjoy the snowflakes and your house and pets and your wife.

It just started an half an hour ago.  The snow flakes are tiny so I know I am in for it.  I can’t change the weather.  I just did a quick shopping trip not that I was going to run out of anything but I was low on a few supplies.

Tomorrow I will sprinkle some birdseed on the snow.  I already filled the suet.  The woodpeckers and nuthatch will greet me tomorrow.  My sunflowers feeder is still relatively full and I will get a steady stream of titmouse and black capped chickadees.

If the worst possibly scenario presents itself and we lose power, I have plenty of coal.  We will ride out the storm and enjoy all our bird visitors who come to our feeders and our four dogs will frolic in the snow.  Is there any thing better than that?

We had a big snowstorm last night.  The first thing I noticed was there were no suet left on the tree outside.  I immediately put some out and sprinkled sunflower seed on the ground for the birds.

It had snowed over a foot last night.  We were in good shape for I went food shopping two days ago.  I did park closer to the curb so I had less driveway to shovel.

The man from our town was plowing the edge of the road so the local post man could reach into our mail boxes to make his deliveries.  He offered to plow the rest of our driveway.

We had shoveled part of it already.  My wife offered him money but he said he did not want any.  Both of us were thrilled.  It only took him a few minutes to complete the job.  He was an angel.  There is nothing like being in a small town.

I Was Thrilled

Author: siggy

I was thrilled:  all of a sudden I saw five goldfinch at once, most of them on our finch feeder we keep nyger seed in.  There was also one house finch.  I always get mixed up between purple and house finches.  I believe the purple finch is bigger.

It was one chilly day and I made sure there was plenty of seed on the ground for the birds to feed on.  I saw the red bellied woodpecker come several times to our suet.

There was a period when the bird did not make an appearance for several months.  Now every day I see it.  I know the pickings must be slim for the birds.  The ground is still snow covered.

The birds must be hungry.  There is a flurry of activity outside our front window.  I did sprinkle some handfuls of birdseed on the snow earlier in the morning.  I have seen many mourning doves and slate covered junco feeding on the ground.

We are getting a steady stream of downy woodpeckers feeding on the suet placed by the trunk of the large pine tree.  I am still waiting for the entrance of the red bellied woodpecker.  I am always awed by its sight.

There are usually a few tufted titmouse at one time coming to and fro the feeder just outside the window.  They like the sunflower seed I put out for them.  Once in awhile I see a chickadee or a cardinal.  I love watching them.

Maybe, today I will see an unusual species.  You never know.  Today I will have more time to watch the birds.  It is snowing and there is no where else to go.

I still watch birds after all these years.  I love identifying them and seeing a new species for the first time.  I have four feeders which I can view from my large living room window.

The one filled with suet is placed near the trunk of my large white pine tree.  I still get a kick out of watching the downy woodpeckers come and go up and down the trunk of the tree seemingly at attention.

The beauty of the larger red bellied woodpecker still takes my breath away.  Other species of woodpeckers have come but usually it is only the downy woodpecker and the occasional red bellied.

I spotted a grosbeak feeding on the ground the last two days but I am still trying to pin down the exact species.  I had never seen one before.

I was driving once on a major highway and a ruffed grouse literally “exploded” in front of me missing my windshield by inches.

Every time I visit a friend there is the same blue heron wading in the same spot in the same pond as if it had not moved an inch in weeks.

It was not until I had moved to this state did I see a great egret, a big majestic white bird.  Now I search for a glimpse of him every time as I travel along the Susquehanna River.  They migrate South in the Fall.  The egrets usually can be found wading at the perimeter of the islands.  Usually I see the smaller white snowy egret, though.

God has made so many types of birds and I glory in his creations.  When I least expect it I see a new species.  I still love watching and identifying birds after more than a half of century.  I feel old now.