Morning Observations from the Warmth of my Home

As I sit in front of my pellet stove enjoying a cup of Bird-friendly® coffee on a cold January morning, a wonderful world awoke outside my windows: 

• The sound of the snowplow woke me this morning. When I looked out at the balcony rail, I thought that the 1" accumulation I saw didn't seem to warrant a visit by the huge plow that patrols our rural dead-end road.
• It was colder last night than I realized. The indoor/outdoor thermometer registers a cold 12 degrees outside.
• There is no wind and the light snow looks beautiful on the trees and branches. It cleans up the 5-day old crusted and littered snow cover quite well!
• The birds seem to be sleeping in as a result of the cold. It's almost 8:00am and I haven't seen a single bird. So odd to look out and see absolutely no movement.
• The sun is still low in the sky but a bright beam shines through the limbs and branches of the tall pines across the road.
• A little after 8:00am, the birds start leaving their nighttime roosts. Chickadees first. Then the jays and a downy woodpecker. Followed by the titmice, headed first to the peanuts, of course.

• While enjoying my view of a downy on a suet log, a Cooper's Hawk with an empty stomach swoops in. The downy escapes and the regal but temporarily defeated hawk perches in the plum tree for a moment before heading off to look for his next target.
• After the hawk visit, the yard goes silent again. It takes minutes before anything dares return to the yard. A chickadee, one of the smallest of the winter flock, leads the charge. Brave little bird.
• A healthy looking Hairy Woodpecker clings to the same suet log the hawk targeted not minutes before. I hope the hawk has already found his meal elsewhere.
• A gray squirrel has backed into the crotch of a tree limb, his huge tail strategically flung forward over his back and head and extending a full 3" in front of his face. After his rest, he starts down the tree, but not before a good downward-dog stretch, back claws dug into the tree and front claws stretching out toward the ground. Namaste.
• A jay and hairy try to share a birdfeeder. Then the Hairy's patience runs out and he "encourages" the jay to leave.
• Our female red-bellied woodpecker moves onto the suet log feeder, displacing the jay that was struggling to cling and eat from it.

We're an hour into the day. The sun has just about reached the tips of the pines, burning off the last of the morning gloom. After a slow start, the yard is in full swing as nature recovers from a cold winter's night.

Comments

[Lindsay Jimenez]

Hi there!! I love, love, love your blog and enjoy each and every entry. I couldn't wait to share with you my special occurrence this morning. Unlike NY, we rarely get a good snow here in central VA but lucked out and got about 9 inches this weekend. Selfishly, I was hoping for it simply in getting more birds as there's been a lapse in activity with weird warm temperatures. This morning, so many birds out and about, and while I was filling one of the feeders, I heard my long lost friend the red bellied woodpecker who I haven't seen in a few months. Along with him, I also had first time visitor Mr. Hairy Woodpecker. I live near the city and sadly don't have many trees, so the sighting of a woodpecker is a rare one. I was so overjoyed to see these two, tears came to my eyes. Even a few moments glance makes weeks of no activity so worth it. Keep up the awesome writing!!

[Susan (Between Naps on the Porch)]

Just purchased a bag of bird-friendly coffee, had not heard about that. Thanks for mentioning it.

My birds were slow to arrive at the feeders this morning also. Unfortunately, we got ice instead of snow. They are loving the heated birdbath I have on my deck, that seemed to draw them first this morning. The Eastern bluebirds, chickadees and titmouses enjoyed the fresh meal worms I put out several times today.

The bluebirds have me trained well. They fly down, check out the empty bowl, look disappointed, then wait in the trees nearby to see if I'm going to get busy and do my job. Of course, I happily oblige and am barely back inside the house before they are feasting. :)

[L. Paul Thomas]

We are not " birders" but do enjoy watching the birds outside our kitchen window. We have several feeders and put out black oil sunflower seed feeder last week. We usually see many birds in winter. So far this year we have almost none. Small number - ten or twelve - house wrens every few days. Only one black capped chickadee, once. No others that we see. We have fat squirrels but no birds. We live in Lewiston, NY about 3/4 mile from the lower river and have had VERY little snow. We even see but few birds when driving down Lower River road.
Any idea where the birds have gone? Thanks

[Ellen]

Nice post, Nancy! Conditions have been very similar in my yard.

Yesterday, while I was at the kitchen sink washing dishes, a Tufted Titmouse perched right outside on the window sill, a peanut in its bill, looking in at me. I wonder if that was his way of saying "thanks." :)