Snowy Feathered Friends

Just a few more photos of our weather with some of our feathered friends featured! Above is my little hummingbird friend at my office window feeder. I couldn't believe it snowed again ALL DAY today. A week of snow!!

This little Robin is enjoying the heated bird bath.

We've been happy to have a Varied Thrush hanging about in our yard -- we think he lives in the "bramble" in the corner of the yard that is covered with currant, thimbleberry and grasses.

Flocks of birds have been hanging out waiting to cycle through the feeding station!

Bird Haven - My Secret Garden

I love the "secret garden" that my husband has been laboring over for the six years that we have been living here. When we moved in there were two small trees, a couple of roses and maybe a half dozen ferns with NOTHING ELSE in the entire back yard. He views the yard as a "canvas" on which he can work his plant magic. We also try to give a variety of birds a welcoming habitat. I've been enjoying all my little bird friends who have been coming around this spring. We feed the birds and have nest boxes hanging in the trees and we have been rewarded with baby birds just finding their way in the world. I've particularly enjoyed all the newly minted little pine siskins taking baths in the bird bath, watching the humming birds bathe in the bubbler of the fountain and poke their beaks through the sides of the unopened irises to get a head start on the nectar. I was thinking that the chicadee I saw two days ago bathing in the top level of the fountain was a baby since it's feathers looked like he had hooked a toe in a live electric socket, but having seen a house finch today that looked about the same, I think they may be adults in process of molting. It's really pretty funny!

Here is a little montage of some fun little bird moments.

This photo is a little fuzzy looking due to having been taking through a screen when the sun was getting lower on the horizon. My little house finch friends.

One of my little hummingbird friends snacking at the golden iris.

You can't really tell because of the motion and the screen, but this is the chickadee that I thought must be a fledgling at first. Feathers were sticking out all directions! Looked more like a cartoon character than a little bird.

Little pine siskin getting a clean-up! Boy can they splash ~


My favorite little friend again, getting ready for a dip! I adore my little hummingbird friends!!!!

Hummingbird Lucky Day for Me!

Please note post below - also dated today. After writing that and uploading photos, I was able to get this photo as well. Is this my lucky day or what! Of course, this one did point out to me the rain and bird-bath-sprayed windows that could use some cleaning. Easy to ignore until seen dramatically magnified in front of the cute bird ~ Hmmm. Somebody's got to clean those windows :-)~ someday, but not today. He was no more than a foot and a half away!

My Dear Little Hummingbird Friend

What I love most about doing most of my work from home (besides being able to wear jammie's and slippers on some lazy mornings) is the fun of watching all my small bird friends go about their daily business of feeding, bathing, preening and bickering. Not the least of these is the least in size - my small hummingbird friends. They do all of the above and particularly enjoy being as territorial as possible. During our last weeks trip to Portland, OR to visit mom, I sent out an SOS to my neighbor when we discovered the weather was supposed to get colder and maybe even snow. Well, it did all of the above and Teresa rose to the occasion and both mornings we were gone she came over and exchanged the warm hummingbird syrup sitting on the counter with the frozen nectar hanging in the tree. One of the two mornings our "little friends" were waiting on the frozen feeder and as soon as she replaced it were drinking happily.

Today the weather had remained cold all day and I had to change out the food twice as it froze within two hours of being put out this morning. I also had to melt the window feeder and it has been well-used today by my favorite little male. I'm so pleased the Anna's stay here over the winter and don't go south like our Rufus friends, but it does give us responsibility for their well-being now that we've allowed them to rely upon us. We feed them all winter and through the spring; once summer and all the glorious flower come, they rarely come to the feeders. And why would they with real nectar to be had all over the yard. A few minutes ago I was able to capture the images here -- my camera can't keep up with the speed of the wings, so he does look a bit wingless in these photos! Enjoy - I certainly am!!

Face to Face Introduction

Finally I was able to get a photo of my little friend at the feeder. Not really close enough, but with digital zoom, close enough to see almost clearly. He'll let me walk much closer, but not with camera. I was surprised this time that he let me take the photos from the top of the deck. I also discovered that he seems to have found a new little hidey-hole in the perrenial bed. I wasn't sure what would happen when the neighbors cut down their tree. Perhaps he has a little snuggly spot in that corner of our yard. At least we don't have to worry about predators reading the blog and knowing where to look!

Visual Bird Feast

OK, I admit I was a little depressed sounding on my last post. Since then time has gone by. We had a great time in Wisconsin over Thanksgiving, visiting my husbands family. Good visits with family, safe trip, interesting conversations -- things have happened and I'm not feeling so down about the election. Oh, do I think it is a bad thing, yes. Do I think it is quite the end of the world, no. Do I continue to know that God is still in control, yes. Do I wish things were different? Of course.

But now we've had a major snow and my interests have narrowed. My little hummingbird is back again and since we've had three days with freezing temperatures, we're back in business of providing breakfast (and today lunch and dinner) transfers from frozen nectar to warm and drinkable nectar. Today the temperature never got above 26 degrees F, so I had to rotate nectar containers several times.

I really thought about sleeping in this morning, but knew that by 7:15 my little friend would be waiting. And he was. A gorgeous little male Anna's hummingbird. May be the same as last year when we thought the Annas was an immature.

We also have a plethora of other delightful birds. A Hairy or Downy woodpecker (didn't make specific identification), bunches of juncos, chicadees (both black capped and rufous sided), at least a half dozen goldfinches with just a hint of yellow left and house finches as well. Usually they are plentiful at the feeders in the morning and evening. But with the harsh cold, all were busily eating most of the day.

We even went so far today to move the bird bath from the front yard to the back (complete with heater to keep the water from freezing) so the birds would have water. During the summer they drink from the little fountain, but when the temperatures drop they need sources of water.

Such little things, so much pleasure. A veritable visual feast of flitting feathered friends!
(Photo: My little Anna a few inches from his feeder - Canon 610 with digital zoom)