Weather

Thursday, February 25th

First shoots

YES! We have green, people! Crocus or snowdrop, I'm not sure, but the point is - it's coming! :)

(Spotted and snapped by Bill on his way out to the car this morning. His text made my day!)

Speaking of this day - SO lovely.

Temp february 25

Though last night was quite stormy (across most of the US), today is mild and windy. Feels so much like Spring. This Winter (knock-on-wood) has been quite do-able so far.

Wildlife notes: Four beautiful deer spotted in the field on Main Street this morning. Right beside the road. No antlers (all female? or young?) and just breathtaking. Also, mourning dove song very early.


Wednesday, February 24th

Carolina wren

I'm cheating a little because this is a picture from 2009 - a different house, a different bird, but we had a pair of these lovelies at our suet today! I wasn't fast enough to get a picture, but I knew I had one (shaded though it is) at the blog. I adore these little Carolina Wrens. They are tiny, bright brown, their tail feathers stand straight up and they are so spirited! Their song is unbelievable. In my older post here I have links to their calls. I have found through the years they show up in late winter - and here they were today. Loving the suet that had fallen on the ground. 

Also at the feeders - the bluebird! So he (they) haven't left our habitat, which is nice. And all the regulars were here too, as well as a huge and handsome woodpecker with a vibrant red head - though oddly enough I believe he is called a Red-bellied Woodpecker!

Rainy day ... snow is melting fast. Tonight brings heavy rain and high winds (like, 50 mph!) and then cleaning tomorrow, temps near 60.


Friday, February 19th

Red squirrels 1

Red squirrel 1 (1)

Enjoying our little red squirrels on the deck - who are enjoying all the sunflower seed exposed as the snow melts! :)

Oddly enough (and sadly), our bluebirds have not been back since Tuesday. Right after we put put all those mealworms! I'm wondering if they were migrating and never meant to stay on? Lots of other kinds of birds in the yard, though ... juncos, titmice, chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, cardinals, etc. so really I shouldn't complain!

Weather: clouds moving in, snow on the way for tonight (just a coating), but up in the 50s all weekend!


Tuesday, February 16th

This morning's icy weather ...

Icy morning 2

I took these pictures quite early (roughly 7:30 a.m.) as I tended to the birdfeeders - dumping out the snow that had fallen overnight, adding extra mealworms and scattered mixed seed. Above is the bank of trees on the east side of our property ... I love watching the sun rise behind these evergreens, and look how pale and frosty everything looks!

Icy morning 1

I know you can barely see it, but at the very top of the tree beyond the roof is a cardinal. He was singing his dear little heart out this morning! Oddly enough, despite all the snow and ice around me, the temperatures were on the rise and there was a feeling of Spring off in the distance ...

And yet ...

Icy morning 8

Everything was glazed with ice!

Icy morning 9

Happily, the mealworms we put out yesterday seem to be a hit with the bluebirds! Below is one on top of the table (where I scattered some mixed seed and "bluebird nuggets") and in the foreground are two lovely goldfinches.

Icy morning 4

This is also attracting the blue jays! And squirrels and juncos, too ...

Icy morning 3

And here's my dear little red squirrel, scavenging beneath the rhododendron.

Icy morning 5

Now, crazily enough, we are in for a very rainy afternoon ... heavy rain is on the way as well as temps in the 50s! It won't wash away all the snow, but will leave behind some black ice tonight and tomorrow morning so I hope everyone is safe on the roads.


Monday, February 15th

Bluebird on branch 2

Another terribly blurry picture I'm afraid, but I am just so excited about our bluebirds, I had to share! :)

The pair of them keep visiting ... and I say pair because there is only ever two of them in the yard BUT ... today there were two bright blue birds and previously there was a bright blue bird and a drab blue bird (a mated pair I assume), but the presence of two bright blue birds tells me there may be more about!

Anyway, I keep noticing them hovering around the feeders but not really doing much eating. I know they don't like seeds and though they do seem interested in the suet cage, they only pick at what the woodpeckers messily drop on the ground. So today we headed over to the local agricultural co-op where we stocked up on all kinds f seed AND a bag of mealworms ... which - are kind of gross, yes but - are apparently the preferred food of bluebirds. 

So here is another terrible picture but it shows the tray feeder which is now full of mealworms ...

Bluebird feeder 1

Note the blurry red-breasted blob sitting just above the feeders! They seem a bit wary of the tray (it being a new feature and all) but it definitely piqued their interest ...

I am just so pleased to think we might be able to not only sustain these beautiful birds, during this incredibly cold weather, but also, perhaps, encourage them to make our property their year-round home. (Apparently not all bluebirds migrate.)

Other birds at the feeders this week: juncos, chickadees, titmice, woodpeckers, nuthatches, goldfinches.

Weather: Super frigid (single digits, wind chills -30)! But tomorrow comes rain and wind and temps around 50! Got to love a New England winter ... !


Tuesday, February 9th

Bluebirds 1

I know it's very hard to tell from that blurry photo (taken through my less than pristine kitchen window) but those two birds at the suet feeder are bluebirds!! 

I absolutely love bluebirds, but have only ever seen them (in real life) once before - last winter, actually. There was a whole flock of them in our front yard! I was all excited thinking we'd be seeing more of them but that was it ... until today. :)

There was just the pair of them - and they spent a good bit of time in the big tree above the feeders (there was a little squabbling amongst the woodpeckers), but they did dip down to the suet a couple of times.

What a beautiful sight! The younger boys and I were sitting right at that kitchen table, working on our Mardi Gras masks, when I spotted the birds. I love seeing new (or uncommon) birds at the feeders!

Weather: Cold, in the 20s, partly sunny.


Saturday, February 6th

Snowy creek

Well that was QUITE a storm! We got several inches of snow and it was quite heavy and wet. Beautiful to look at, but dangerous, too. We lost power Friday afternoon - and it's still not back yet! Such is the price to pay for living where there are lots of tall trees ...

We're keeping warm though, and enjoying the "snow globe" scenery all around us. It's actually quite a beautiful day - bright sun, cold air - and apparently there's more snow on the way this week!

So pretty to watch the birds at the feeders and of course, we'll be keeping our eyes open for more tracks in the yard. Shown in the picture above is a creek near our home ... it looked so lovely as the sun rose behind it. We had to pull over and take a snap!