Wednesday, March 16, 2022

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.




40 comments:

  1. You are doing SO much good, and helping so many of God's little creatures! You did give me a good laugh with "Let's fly south again"! Of course my favorite is the cute little wren. I never did think of squirrels using their tails to keep warm, but you must be right! A good observation. The robins always prefer worms, and would have had none that day, so I know how happy they must have been to see your feeder. Of course we had the very same weather, as we do not live that far apart.

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    1. I am very happy you enjoyed this post Ginny, and thank you. I expect your snow has gone like ours by now. The Robin was back again today, as were a few other birds but there has not been quite as many as that day. That was special :)

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  2. Beautiful birds and the Northern Cardinal is such a nice male bird as in colour in your photo.

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  3. Amazing wintery scenes. Mid March! It is freezing cold here as well.
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. It seems everyone's weather is out of kilter :) Thank you Amalia xo

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  4. Your feeder is a busy place. You sure get a nice variety of birds. I have only ever caught brief sightings of red winged black birds.

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    1. I am looking forward to seeing the Red-wings at Huntley Meadows again. They are everywhere in the warmer weather :)

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  5. Gostei de ver esta bela sequência de fotografias.
    Um abraço e continuação de uma boa semana.

    Andarilhar
    Dedais de Francisco e Idalisa
    O prazer dos livros

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    1. Seu comentário me deixou muito feliz :) Muito obrigado. Um abraço e continuação de bom fim de semana.

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  6. Hello,
    I love your sweet Robin image. The birds do enjoy the feeders during a snowstorm, they have a feeding frenzy. The squirrels are cute. I was glad to see the last snow melt quickly. Take care, enjoy your day!

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    1. Thank you Eileen, I enjoy the Robins :) It's interesting that they have a feeding frenzy. I thought my feeders would be silent when it was snowing but it was fun watching them. You take care also, and enjoy your weekend :)

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  7. Precious sightings. And I enjoyed your commentary!! I love the wren so much, it's like she was praising the Lord for the bountiful meal you provided.

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    1. Thanks Anni, so glad you enjoyed. The Wren did look like she was very thankful :)

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  8. Some fabulous birds here, Denise. Interesting observations on how they stand, too. I've yet to see the red-winged here but soon, I suspect. Today will be warm!

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    1. Hi Jeani, thank you and I hope you enjoyed the warmth and got to see the Red-wing :)

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  9. my favorite today is the redwing black bird, only because he is so cute. i am thinking they are flocking to your bird buffet because all the natural stuff is either frozen or hidden under the snow... the squirrels look really cold to me.. so sweet

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    1. They are very striking aren't they, even the ones without their vibrant splash of red? Yes, in an alternative reality, I would like to have invited them all in out of the cold ;)

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  10. My husband hears the birds singing in the morning now.

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    1. How wonderful, it is a joyous time to hear them :) Thanks Christine!

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  11. Your high temperature is our low temperature. I don't like cold weather. I love that red cardinal and the bluejay! Spectacular photos! You sure are good with the camera.

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    1. Thanks Gigi, yes I can understand about the climate here compared to Hawaii. However, having lived here for over 30 years now, I love the changing seasons :)

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  12. Denise, your indoor bird viewing produced great photo results on a snow day! We used to get so many varieties at our feeders on the rare times it snowed when we lived in VA.

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    1. Those sound like good memories Dorothy, though I know you are loving NH :)

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  13. I like to watch horses with their butts into the wind.

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  14. My camera takes snow pictures, in a similar fashion. :-)

    But really hope, there will be no more snow storms, to take pics of, this season! I think all of us are t-i-r-e-ed of s-n-o-w!!!!!

    Today has been very Spring-like. But I'm not getting tooooo used to it. March is an unpredictable "Ol' Gal".....

    Gentle hugs
    🍀💚🍀

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    1. I am glad you had your Spring-like day and hope it continues :) I am looking forward to the warmer temperatures. We are getting them now, for how long I'm not sure but I will enjoy what we get. Thank you and I also send gentle hugs!

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  15. The critters are quite well taken care of.

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    1. They certainly are. I saw one of our neighbors a few gardens up refilling their feeders :)

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  16. I enjoyed your beautiful snow antics with your feathered and fuzzy friends, Denise! I agree with you that when it snow there are more birds feeding at the feeders. Like you said--it's the least you can do for all the enjoyment they bring!

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  17. A lovely post Denise.
    I enjoyed seeing all of the birds in your photographs.

    All the best Jan

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    1. Thank you Jan, so glad and all the best to you too :)

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  18. I enjoyed the view of the birds, too. It is one of the pleasures of life to get to watch nature.

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    1. Hi Rose, happy you enjoyed. I agree with you wholeheartedly :)

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