Siggy’s Blurbs

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.

Tags: beak, bird feeding, birds, brown creeper bird, cardinal, Carolina wren, center of attention, Christmas lights, Christmas tree, downy woodpecker, ice storm, living room window, nature, red, red bellied woodpecker, squirrels, suet, tree trunk, white pine tree, white-breasted nuthatch, winter, woodpecker
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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.

Tags: bird feeding, bird-feeders, bird-watching, birds, Carolina wren, frost, hummingbirds, living room window, nature, red bellied woodpecker, ruby-throated hummingbird, spring, suet, sugar water for birds, white pine tree, white-breasted nuthatch, winter, woodpeckers
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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.

Tags: bird feeding, bird seed, birds, cardinal, Carolina wren, downy woodpecker, feed the birds, my yard, nature, porch, slate covered junco, snow, snow birds, snow storm, squirrels, suet, sunflower seeds, white pine tree
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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?

Tags: bird seed, bird visitors, bird-feeders, black capped chickadee, coal, dogs, feed the birds, frolic, lose power, nuthatch, pets, shopping trip, snow, snowflakes, snowstorm, suet, sunflower seed, titmouse, weather, winter, woodpecker, your wife
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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.

Tags: angel, bird feeding, birds, driveway, food shopping, mail box, shovel snow, small town, snow, snow plow, snowstorm, suet, sunflower seed
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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.

Tags: bird feeder, bird seed, birds, chilly day, goldfinch, house finch, nyger seed, purple finch, red bellied woodpecker, seed on the ground, snow covered ground, suet, winter
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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.

Tags: bird feeder, bird seed, bird-watching, birds, cardinal, chickadee, downy woodpecker, it is snowing, living room window, mourning dove, pine tree, red bellied woodpecker, slate covered junco, snow, snow covered ground, suet, sunflower seed, tufted titmouse, winter
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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.

Tags: bird-feeders, bird-watching, birds, blue heron, downy woodpecker, Fall, God made birds, great egret, grosbeak, His creations, identifying birds, love watching birds, migrate south, new species, pond, red bellied woodpecker, ruffled grouse, suet, Susquehanna River, view feeders from living room window, wading near islands, white bird, white pine tree, white snowy egret
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A Carolina wren had made its nest in a pansy pot hanging from the garage door.  The nest faced the inside of the garage.  I spied the birds repeatedly getting and bringing pieces of suet to their young.  I stood below the nest and still could not hear the young.  A while back I had shined a flashlight into the nest and spotted three eggs in it.

Today when I opened the garage door I flushed two young wrens out of the nest and they half flew, half ran into my very disordered, cluttered garage.  Their parents were squawking very excitedly nearby.  I left the door open so eventually the two birds would find their way out.

I did see one bird against the far wall, then flapping near the entrance of the garage door.  I assumed it got out.

Then I had another encounter with another local denizen later on.  I could not understand why all of a sudden six cats were congregating near the computer.  Suddenly I spied a small mouse trying to evade their grasp.  I quickly trapped it with two sneakers and released it outside near the woods.  It must have been terrified for I checked the sneaker an hour later and it still was in there.  I encouraged it to run into the woods.  These were my two encounters with the creatures around my house.

Tags: bird's nest, Carolina wren, cats, computer, eggs, garage, mouse, pansies, small creatures, sneaker, suet, woods
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I make sure my two large bird house totems face outward, one on each side of my front door.  I want the birds in my neighborhood to feel welcome.  There are a multitude of birds that come to our five feeders, which I keep well supplied with anything from sunflower seed to thistle to suet and when the warm weather arrives I put out nectar I make especially for the hummingbirds.  That does not even include the birdseed I scatter on the ground for the birds who prefer to feed there.

Last year there were three birds nesting in our vicinity.  An eastern phoebe built a nest above the right front door light although there might have been too much traffic there for her to be successful in raising her young.  A nest was built there two years in a row.

A scarlet tanager raised a family in a bird box stationed at a large white pine a foot higher feet than my head less than an hundred feet away from our entrance although I never spotted the brightly colored male.  I had never seen one before.

A catbird made a nest in the thicket of one gigantic bush in the corner of our yard.  One of our cats found the nest and flushed the young catbird out of the bush and we shooed the cat away immediately.  The frightened baby bird  hopped into the open garage chirping in fright.  My son who happened to be at my house first had to move a table and a filing cabinet out of the garage to reach the scared little bird who had hopped deep into the cluttered garage.  He trapped the baby bird carefully scooped up into a little box without touching it and safely released it back into the overgrown bush where its nest lay.

I want all the birds in our neighborhood to know they are welcome to visit our premises and raise their young.  Every day I watch them come to and fro our feeders.  Soon I will put out nectar for our hummingbird feeders and watch the miniature  “helicopters” come back and forth and jostle for position at their feeders.  We will have one feeder at the window just so we can watch them closeup.

There is such a variety of birds that come to our feeders.  The magnificent ten inch long red bellied woodpecker with its gorgeously marked red head occasionally feeds on our suet feeder (which I have placed right next to the trunk of the large white pine tree) and there is his companion–the smaller downy woodpecker which stands at attention as it climbs up and down the trunk of the same tree also feeding on the suet.  Then there is the diminutive brown creeper who is aptly named who also feeds on the suet and my favorite–the fearless chickadee whose antics I always love watching.

This is, of course, an incomplete list.  I want them all to feel welcome and the birds continue to come here  in a constant stream.  I joyously greet them each morning and watch them all day and never know when an odd bird makes its appearance like the indigo buntings that seem to come through here once or twice a year in flocks.  I never know for sure what I will see outside my window.  I want the birds to always feel welcome.

Tags: bird-watching, birds, brown creeper, catbird, chickadee, downy woodpecker, eastern phoebe, hummingbird, indigo bunting, red bellied woodpecker, scarlet tanager, suet, woodpecker
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