SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER - THEY WENT WHERE?

Here's a clue!

The man of the house and his brother drove to Baltimore and had a great time watching the Baltimore Orioles play the Houston Astros. They said it was a fun game and their team won. Here's information on that iconic song, along with the lyrics here, and an actual video of the Sesame Street Gang singing it. If the video disappears you can find it at this link.

That's how it goes on a Saturday Morning at the Bird Feeder. 

I hope you enjoy singing along.

Thanks for stopping by and I wish you all

a very happy month of May.

Let’s play ball!

For our international friends to use 

the translation button my sidebar.

Photo 1:

“What went on this week?”

Photo 2:

“Take em out to the ballgame,

Take me out with the crowd.”

“Buy me some peanuts and

Cracker Jack, I don’t care if 

I never get back.”

(Thank you Pinterest for today’s inspiration.)

 

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - SATURDAY TO SATURDAY - STARTING 2/7/26

The weather above is for next week. As you will be able to see we are going to have higher temperatures. I am looking at Tuesday in particular.

I haven't done one of these for a while but felt like jotting things down, even though it was all pretty mundane. 

Saturday 2/7/26: I'm busy trying to take a photo of a white-throated sparrow in the flat-feeder. He's a quick one, I haven't been successful in getting him full body, the same with a wren and blue jay. The juncos are more cooperative. 

As for the others, either they are super-fast at picking up their seed or my reflexes are slowing down. Let's just say those birds are faster than I am! 

60 mile per hour winds were expected but it wasn't as windy as I have seen in the past. Son texted me and said that he had to hold onto the steering wheel and saw a downed tree. We got our front tree trimmed a few months ago, but we need more taken off and this is a solid reminder.  

The snow has melted a bit, but with these low temperatures, it is going to be a long time before all this snow and ice disappears.

Hubs went to the supermarket and picked up a doughnut for breakfast. He also stopped in at the coffee shop next door for me. Saturday is doughnut treat-day for both of us.

Sunday 2/8/26: son came over. He called later after he had picked up our daughter-in-law and as always, we are looking forward to getting together with both, hopefully soon. 

We introduced son to Spike and he immediately got his cell phone out. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, says I smiling.  

We have the traditional selfie of the three of us before he leaves. Gregg made this one into a painting. It doesn’t get our exact likenesses but we liked it.

Monday 2-9-26: Gregg went to the dentist and he has to have a back molar removed after having had some discomfort this past week. They wanted to do a lot more work than he was prepared for. That's to be sorted out next week. 

I had a quick chat with my brother-in-law in Germany and will be followed by a FaceTime soon. He's like a brother rather than a brother-in-law. I have known him since I was 13. 

Oh joy, we have had mouse activity in our car as you will see from yesterday's Saturday at the Bird Feeder Post. The surrounding where the shift is, has been chewed considerably, and a big hole made. The photos don't show the full damage. You can actually lift up a big flap that shows more damage. This was done in one night! Two years ago we had huge cachet of sunflower seeds tucked into a pocket on top of the engine. The previous link takes you to that story, but you'll have to scroll down. Maybe they are seeking the warmth of the car. This one certainly likes the taste of it.

A few years before that, the snow was elevated up to the dryer vent outside and a mouse got into our basement that way, through the tiniest hole! 

Gregg lifted the hood this time and said he couldn't see any damage, but we're going to be having an oil change and will get the guys to do a double check. I will also be checking the basement. 

Tuesday 2/10/26: Gregg read up on how to keep pests away naturally. He bought a small container of peppermint aromatherapy, yesterday and sprayed it on cottonwool balls as the article suggested. These he placed near the gear shift and others under the seat and in other areas. He did this last night and no more signs of chewing today. Fingers crossed! 

No breakfast today and for lunch we went to McDonalds for a burger and fries. The car smelled lovely though a little overpowering with that peppermint smell.

Dinner was quite late and we had a medley of roasted veggies; potatoes, carrots, quartered onions, and broccoli, cooked with avocado spray and all done on one sheet, popped in the oven. We had bought a Costco rotisserie chicken the day before, and had more for tonight's meal. We have leftovers for tomorrow. Pretty plain cooking but we both enjoyed. 

Wednesday 2/11/26: we ate the leftover vegetables for breakfast/lunch, tossing them around in the frypan for a few minutes. We added sliced tomatoes and an egg, plus a slice of toast. Very good! We had a relatively light supper. Roast chicken again, Lacy Swiss Cheese and lettuce on a focaccia roll. Also, very good and a no fuss cooking day. 

Gregg went out to try and find this boot replacement that the mouse chewed on. Didn’t have any success at the two auto shops. We will probably end up taking it to our dealership. 

I forgive you mouse, you were just following your instincts. Please find another warm place to stay, preferably not at our place. Sorry about the peppermint (not really, our pockets will be a little emptier thanks to you)! 

A quiet day today. Pottered around, did some housework, did a little computer work (I had fun putting a few things together as you can see), I read a bit. 

The temperature rose above freezing and there was a bit of snowmelt. I can see more of the deck. I will be glad to get out there and clean up. It was all quiet at the feeders today.

Thursday 2/12/26: Gregg had his back molar taken out, thankfully a little sooner than expected as there was some infection and they gave him an early appointment. He is doing very well he says. No brushing his teeth for a couple of days his dentist told him. Scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes and soup are on the menu. I was surprised how chipper he seemed to be and very happy that tooth is now gone. I have an idea it was bothering him more than he said.

Spike was back today with his sister, Sister of Spike. Would you believe they both have barely any fur on their tails? I looked it up. Squirrels do have health issues but these two seemed okay otherwise, not scratching and bright-eyed. Other reasons were interesting, as they do molt and also take the fur off their tails to put in their nests for insulation. That's the first time I've heard about that. Neither of them seem to have any health issues and are quite lively and happily stuffing their faces.

This one has a nice healthy tail.

Hubs checked, no more mouse activity, fingers crossed! 

Friday 2-13-26: 39 degrees F. today. Even more snow off the deck. Across the street it is disappearing from people’s front lawns. Not ours yet as they get a lot more sun on their side of the street. At least our driveway and pathway to the front door are clear.

Breakfast was scrambled eggs with cheese, toast for me, and a small glass of orange juice, also berries bought yesterday. I have just finished a cup of black coffee and am blogging for a bit.  

After spending a quiet morning, we made another batch of Thai-style soup. You can see my post here if you missed it. We made several changes by adding extra broth, and we had no green onions for the garnish (also none to put in the soup). A yellow onion did nicely. No carrots - replaced them with peas. Also, added a combination of pasta and dumplings (no potstickers in our freezer, or regular noodles in the pantry). He liked the idea of adding Girelle pasta (recommended by our son) - a little Thai-Italian fusion going on here - and I like my miniature chicken and cilantro dumplings, so we put them in together. He added the left-over Costco rotisserie chicken and I suggested adding fresh cilantro, but he wanted it just for garnish as he wasn't sure about putting it in the soup while cooking. Next, a little lemon juice also at the table, a few splashes of Sriracha, and a teaspoon of Chili Crisp. Sounds an awful lot of ingredients I know, but this turned out really well and is now one of our favorite soups.

We had a tot of Harvey's Bristol Cream Sherry before we went to bed. I told Gregg in dramatic fashion, and with pauses, that "It greets - the nostrils - like - an old friend." I got the wanted reaction when he laughed. Doesn't take much to keep our funny-bones going. We, after all, laugh at all jokes that are groaners and often laugh at ourselves.

Off to bed, it's been another fast day.

Saturday 2/14/26: Gregg is doing well after his tooth extraction. He's a trooper I tell him, and having those good genes from his parents may have helped. He also had a long chat with his sister and brother-in-law first thing, and that is always a great start to the day. He went out to our local supermarket and bought our Saturday doughnuts. His choice because I may have mentioned in passing, that we should leave it this week but no, he looks forward to them. He also popped in next door to get my coffee. 

We are not doing anything special for Valentine's Day. It's hopeless trying to get a seat at a restaurant locally and a lot of places don't take reservations. I don't have the patience or ability to wait an hour for a table, not that I ever did even when I was younger. We're not ones for doing anything too much. At the same time, I love seeing what you do. 

I enjoyed watching the birds turn up at the feeders this morning. Above we have a Male house finch and a female Cardinal. Mr. Cardinal was nearby and I'll share him another time. 

I am looking forward to many things about the warmer weather, one of them is washing down the deck, and giving it a good scrub after all this snow we've had. We will be going to the garden center to buy flowers for the planters. I am determined to grow herbs this year. It's 54 degrees F. today.

 How nice it will be to sit out there with a hot drink, relax and enjoy the fresh air. Simple things sometimes are the best. When dear other half went to the supermarket this morning, I threw clothes in the washing machine. I found a simple joy in that. 

We just had a photo sent from our son. He and our daughter-in-law are standing in a very, very long line at Chateau de Chantilly Bakery. They introduced us to the place last year and we love it, but it gets very busy at the best of times and can be hard to find a table. One thing I noticed, they're all young-uns standing in this line, which reaches to the back of the store. Gregg replied that we are going to that other fancy French restaurant, Chick-fil-a. He said "Nothing but the best for my gal." Did I laugh out loud! And yes, that's where we decided to go. We enjoy Chick-fil-a. Their young staff are always polite and friendly, and even with the longest line, we can get through fast. And the food is consistently good. Son said their place was hopping, and I am very glad we're not standing in that long line. (Back home now and we enjoyed as always.) We go through the drive-thru and our friend here always greets us before we pick up our food.

On our way I took one photo as we left the neighborhood. People are starting to get out and about, and the snow is beginning to melt. A beautifully sunny day at 55 degrees F. Tomorrow it's going to be colder, 45 degrees and promising rain all day. 

I'm going to finish here and get this scheduled for midnight. I don't see us doing anything else today of note.

If you stuck through all of this mundane to the end, I thank you. If you skipped entirely, I'm grateful that you popped in and to all who leave a comment, I very much appreciate that. 

A big thank you to those of you who follow me. I have tried to follow other blogging friends but I keep getting a message to say I am at my 100 percent capacity and can follow no more. I have tried deleting a few who no longer visit, but am having a dickens of a time trying the steps I have been given on a help line. Anyone have step-by-step instructions on how to delete some followers? These are the ones who no longer visit by the way, and I do want to support my more recent blogging friends.  

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER - SUGAR COOKIE AND THE NORTH POLE

Fear not Sugar Cookie, the North Pole is thataway!

And that's all she wrote for this week's 

Saturday Morning at the Birdfeeder. 

Thanks for taking a look and have a great day!

For our international friends to translate.

Photo 1:

"What happened to you?"

"Camera Lady?"

"She loves sugar cookies. I'm heading back to the North Pole!"

Photo 2:

" Now he has gone back to the North Pole, I have a question for you."

"What would that be?"

Photo 3:

"What did one Christmas Stocking say to the other?"

"It's fun hanging out with you!"

A VISITOR ARRIVED YESTERDAY...

...a White-throated Sparrow. This is the first time I have seen one since the beginning of the year. I was delighted.

They are fascinating little birds and there is a wealth of information about them if you do a search. I read that "on average a female lays four pale-blue or greenish-blue eggs that are speckled with purple or chestnut. She incubates her eggs for around 12 days. Both parents feed the young birds, which leave the nest seven to 12 days after hatching. 

After fledging, these 'youngsters' still depend on their parents for an additional two weeks or so. White-throated sparrows occasionally mate with Dark-eyed Juncos, with the resulting offspring resembling extra gray White throated Sparrows. A hybrid's song combines the trill of a junco with the triplet notes of the White-throated Sparrow.

White-throated sparrows measure 6 to 7.5 inches (15 to 19 cm) long.”

You can read all about it at this website.

There is a very interesting article at this link telling us how it developed a new song. I added the following address from YouTube, so that you could hear its call. A word of warning, it sings very high- pitched notes. When I showed it to Gregg to listen to, he said something akin to, "Wow!"

Here is the full address that you can cut and paste: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXsiA6wcdSA 

  

More information by asking Google AI Mode which I also found fascinating:

"Unlike many birds where males are bright and females are dull, male and female White-throated Sparrows look nearly identical. Their primary difference is not based on sex, but on a unique genetic trait known as color morphs.

The Two Morphs (White vs Tan):

Both males and females come in two distinct color forms, or "morphs".

White-striped morph: bright white stripes on the head, high contrast black stripes and a very crisp white throat patch.

Tan-striped morph: dull tan or brown head stripes and a less defined white throat.

Key Differences Between Males and Females:

While they share the same color morphs, subtle differences exist in behaviour and minor physical traits:

Subtle Coloration: males may have slightly darker head stripes and brighter yellow "lores" (the spots between the eye and bill) than females.

Singing: males of both morphs sing frequently to defend territory. While white-striped females also sing, tan-striped females rarely do.

Size: females are slightly smaller on average.

Nesting roles: only females build the nest and incubate the eggs. Both parents feed the chicks, though tan-striped birds (regardless of sex) are generally more nurturing and provide more frequent feeding than white-striped individuals.

The "Four Sexes" Phenomenon:

White-throated Sparrows are famous for a "disassortative" mating system. Almost exclusively, white-striped birds mate with tan-striped birds. This creates four distinct reproductive roles:

White-striped Male: highly aggressive, sings often, less parental care.

White-striped Female: more aggressive than tan-striped females, sings occasionally.

Tan-striped Male: less aggressive, focuses more on protecting his mate and feeding chicks.

Tan-striped Female: quiet, nurturing, and dedicated to parental care.”

Thanks for visiting me and I hope your day goes well.

A FEW FEATHERED FRIENDS FOR YOU - 1-23-25

As you may already know, I get a lot of joy from seeing all our feathered friends out back, especially as I am not able to go too far afield lately. I am starting off with an American Goldfinch who managed to get a drink of water. The snow and ice were melting in the bird bath. I have put links on all the names of these birds if you would like to find out more information, and hopefully I am not repeating the same photos. I know you've seen the same birds at some point or another.

Next I managed to get a photo of a White-breasted nuthatch, before he darted off with seed in mouth. He is a flitterer, in that he flits in and he flits out.

A closer one of the Northern Flicker. Such a handsome bird. You can tell this one is a male because he has a black mustache. Females don't have them. I will do a post on him later with more information. Because he has only just started visiting, I am enjoying finding out more about him.

Next is an Eastern Bluebird. 

For years we never saw any out back, and now we get several and often. 

Here's a White-throated Sparrow.

A Carolina Wren on one of our snow days.

I am finishing off with another Eastern Bluebird, a male Northern Cardinal and a few House Finches on the same snow day. Our Christmas tree is showing on the right. I had to move fast to get them altogether, no time to frame it out of the picture, and I didn’t want to cut the cardinal out.

That's all for now. I hope you have enjoyed.

SNOW DAY FOR THE BIRDS ON MONDAY, JANUARY 6TH, 2025

 Last Monday (1/6/25) was our first significant snowfall of the season. I spent a lot of my time looking at the birds outside. These are photos I took. I have added links to all their names.

The male House Finches were the first to appear after we replenished the birdseed.

This was the first White-throated Sparrow I had seen in a long time. 

A Carolina Wren, always a visitor thankfully.

I felt lucky to get a photo of this Red-bellied Woodpecker before he flew out of frame.

A male Northern Cardinal and I think an American Goldfinch.

A Mourning Dove and a House Finch.

A Blue Jay, another regular visitor.

An Eastern Blue Bird.

The House Finches and one Dark-eyed Junco looked like they were having a party.

I think this little House Finch was waiting for a spot to open up.

This is where I am ending my post. I hope you enjoyed my little birds enjoying their snow day. 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your day is a great one.

MORE BIRD CAM PICS...

 At least the sun is shining in these photos.  

Okay, so I will start off with the cheeky one again.  I don't think it's an opinion!  

I have a direct line of sight to them all from where I sit when using my laptop.  There was a Carolina Wren out there a few moments ago, but I only saw it on the deck and not the rail.  Here's hoping that was his first stop and I just missed it.

Yes, I still think you are adorable!

A female Cardinal close-up, and definitely checking the camera out!

Her mate next photo.

One of the many reasons I enjoy this outside camera, it picks up the most interesting sights. For instance, the Cardinal in flight.

Next, we have a male House Finch.  He seems to be getting along with the Mourning Doves.

I do like to look at the feathers up-close, so pretty!

A few more joined in.

The White-throated sparrow was a surprise.  I haven't seen any sparrows in a long time, let alone a White-throated.  It came back for several days, always on its own.

I thought this one might be a Goldfinch, but then those that I have seen online don't appear to have that little white eye rim.  Any ideas?  Anyhow, it appears to have moved on also.  Fun for a while to see this little bird.

Added photo: 12-11-21 

Martha Ellen asked what kind of birdseed we use, and I thought I would take a photo and put it below.  I am not sure where it came from as Gregg brought it home on a solo errand run some time ago.  I will ask him next chance I get as the bag is almost empty.  Thanks for asking Martha Ellen.

And thank you for visiting today's feathered friends. I appreciate all your comments.  I sometimes forget to mention that, but they are always very welcomed and enjoyable to read.  

Have a great weekend everyone!