AND THEN THE SNOW

I took these photos with our camera from inside the house, not the trail cam.  That came inside when I realized the snow was coming. Its lens in rain and snow gives some interesting effects, but on the whole the photos are poor.

When I wrote this, (Saturday, March 12th, 2022), it was snowing since early morning, and 21 deg. F.  The day before it was well into the mid 60s.  Today (the 15th) it is 72 degrees.  The birds must have been wondering what was going on.

Fluff your feathers out more, said I, you are supposed to be flying north!  

I have been enjoying watching the birds and squirrels.  Several had their feathers fluffed out more than others.

The squirrels lay with their backs to the wind and their tails flattened over them, to try and keep warm presumably.  Just like we would put on extra layers, they make good use of their tails.  I have noticed the birds sit/stand in the same direction, against the wind, a whole flock of them.  Maybe you have noticed this also.   I haven’t done any research, so I am adding it to my list of things to find out.

The Starlings were having more than their share, but were not in as great numbers as the Grackles. It seemed to me that there was an abundance of our feathered friends, more so than normal.  The  snow had actually brought dozens to the feeders, a steady stream of them.

For the first time this year I noticed a Red-winged blackbird.  The shoulder patch showed a little yellow, with a faint touch, very faint, of red.  Perhaps a non-breeding male?  

The only time I notice them is during the warmer months at Huntley Meadows, always near the water, with a very rare sighting at our feeders.  There is a creek nearby but I think they are passing through. 

The male Northern Cardinal gave me the eye, saw me taking photos but posed nicely.

And then he had enough and flew up into the tree.

I saw a Dark-eyed Junco on another branch, patiently waiting a turn.

For the first time this year the Common Grackles showed themselves.  You can't see by this photo, but there were literally a couple of dozen in the highest part of the tree.

Fascinating birds, I enjoy observing them.  

The Blue Jays are back also…

and the American Robins…

and mustn't forget these little darlings, the Carolina Wren.  Probably wondering if she would get a chance to eat from the suet feeder, but she scratched through the snow and found some tasty seeds below her feet.

Later she found space above, with the company of a House Finch.

The Furry One was there...down below on the deck…

as well as other family members.

He didn't have to dig very deep before finding food.

He remembered his manners and said thank you for replenishing their food all through that snowy day.

You are very welcome Sweetie!

When the wind was strong, sitting on the hanging feeder must have been a roller coaster ride, and sometimes the feeders were doing good impersonations of spinning tops, set into motion by each bird coming and going.  (I made sure they were secured tightly.)  Spinning tops aside, they got on with it and kept eating, sometimes chasing each other off to get their spot.  

It was quite a day and when the wind picked up, heads were lowered as the flurries of snow hit their faces.  At one point I watched a Starling battling a gust of wind.  A thought crossed my mind of what it must be like in a wind tunnel.  It was struggling for a few seconds, and then the gust went away.  It settled on the rail where it scratched away the snow to get at the seed, just like this American Robin did before him..  

As I mentioned, there were a lot of birds at the dinner table, much more than we usually get.  Was it the snow and the lack of food elsewhere? I did give them extra birdseed between those flurries, it was the least I could do.  It was such a dramatic change in the weather, as yesterday the sun was shining and in the 60s.  The weather people told us we were under a storm watch.  It started raining in the night, which turned to snow.  Fortunately not as bad as before, and it was a wet snow.  As I finish this post off it has all melted.  

This is our weather through to Tuesday the 22nd. 

That's the end of my bird viewing during snow day at home.

Thanks for looking and enjoy the rest of your week.