Feeding Time at the Zoo...

A couple of weeks ago I paid bills on the table outside. It was a gorgeous, sunny afternoon, much too nice to be stuck inside. It wasn't long before I had some friends join me. (The peanut basket I brought out with me is like a beacon.)

(click on any photos to enlarge them)

This is one of the many bluejays who visit our yard. But this particular little guy is the only one brave enough to come right up to me to get his peanuts.

It's taken a while for him to feel comfortable enough to come this close. I doubt he'll ever trust me enough to eat out of my hand like my chipmunk friends, but I feel honored that he trusts me enough to come this close.

I was almost out of peanuts on this particular day, so he had to hop down into the basket to retrieve his treats, with me sitting right there. Another act of great bravery on his part.

I know bluejays can be mean birds, but I still have a soft spot for them.

Now Ms. Titmouse isn't nearly so shy. She always makes sure I see her when she comes to visit, hopping from chair to table and from side to side to catch my attention. I think she likes to be admired and told how cute she is.

Of course my little Chips are ever present. Today I made Chip get his own peanuts out of the basket instead of hand feeding him since I was busy paying bills (and taking pictures!).

Here he is with his cheeks full, on his way out of the basket while Sammy Squirrel decides whether or not to join him.

My little Chips are fearless creatures, always eager to become friends with the peanut lady (me). 

Another picture of Sammy deciding whether to join us while Mr. Blue Jay watches over the peanut basket from the top of our wrought iron planter holder.

It really was a perfect afternoon. I even had a visit from shy Mrs. Mourning Dove, who braved the feeding frenzy in order to get a drink from the fountain. Having all these little creatures around sure took a bit of the sting out of paying bills!!

Have a beautiful week... Donna

Dusk....

... my favorite time of the day to sit down and relax in the back yard (it's really too soon to call it a garden... soo many things still to be done! But it's getting there!)


The birds are very active at dusk. This little wren, on top of the girls' old swingset, has some straw in her beak and has been busy building a nest. (You may have to enlarge the photo to even see her! Wrens are just so sweet, and what lovely, loud singing voices they have for such tiny ittle birds!)


A mourning dove landed on top of the birdhouse before flying down to one of the birdbaths in the backyard. Poor birdhouse. It was a cheapy from The Christmas Tree Shop within the last year or two. You get what you pay for, that's for sure. I'll see if I can spruce it up and get a few more years out of it before it warps and falls apart completely...


And here are my first shots of the female hummer that arrived yesterday. She definitely likes the feeder down by the patio, which is where I was sitting.

Here she is on another trip to the feeder, as it was getting darker. Of course that's when the mosquitos started coming out. Are there any parts of the U.S. that do not have mosquitos? I think that's where I would like to retire some day!

On my way back to the house I spotted one of our Chips. It was very unusual to see him that late in the evening. They're usually in bed a good hour before sundown; or at least they're not coming around for peanuts during our last hour in the yard so I assume they're bedded down for the night.

So I tossed Chip a few peanuts before heading in for the night. We're working on a project that I'll share with you soon, hence the pile of lumber in front of the shed. I think Chip is going to miss it when it's gone. He was enjoying being king of the mountain!

It's POURING buckets here right now, and tomorrow is supposed to be off-and-on showers, so I'm not sure how soon this project will be completed, but I'll share it with you soon I hope!Wishing you all a lovely week!

Donna

The early bird gets the...

... shaft!!! Our first robins arrived over the weekend, just in time for the nastiest weather of the season...


(click to enlarge photos)

"Mr. Robin, what on earth were you thinking, migrating back to New England in January!?!?" (I left this pic very large so you can see Mr. Robin, perched on the heated birdbath, if you click to enlarge the photo... Just follow the arrow!) I seem to remember as a kid that robins were considered one of the first signs of spring, but I've noticed over the past several years that they've been arriving earlier and earlier!


"Oh, no, Little Wren - not you, too!!! You've arrived in the middle of a snowstorm, and spring, with its abundance of insects, is nowhere in sight!"



"So find Mr. Robin and see if you two can cuddle together and keep warm until you find mates!"

Now here's a bird that looks right at home in the New England winter!

"Hello, Mr. Nuthatch!! I see you've spotted the crumbled suet cake I sprinkled over the feeder for you!"

Sweet, gentle mourning doves... They are such timid, beautiful birds. Usually when they spot me with my camera, they're gone... But this little guy must have been hungry because he just kept on eating after he spotted me.

"Hello, little junco! Although I won't miss winter, I will definitely miss you when you're gone... So we'll make the most of the next couple of months, until the longer days and warmer temps tell you it's time to spread your wings and fly away."

This little black-capped chickadee looks camouflaged amongst the seed and suet!

They are such feisty, brave little birds... They come right onto the deck in the summer to drink from the small birdbath we keep there... (ahhhh, summer... what a sweet word!!!)

It seems as though every time I glanced toward the dining room window while getting supper ready, I'd see a different bird at the feeder. So I grabbed my camera and within a short period of time got photos of all these guys. Blue jays and cardinals were also there, but they never came back once I had my camera in hand (Murphy's law)...

This is the first year we've had the screen feeder set up right outside the dining room window and I absolutely love it. Number one, I can fill it right through the window... no more trudging through the snow; and Number two, I get to watch these feathered friends up close and personal!! Another thing to be grateful for!

Donna

Cardinals, Snowy Days, and Christmas...

... these are all things that remind me so much of my mom. She would have loved the snow that came down over the past 24 hours as she loved winter and watching snow fall...


(click any photos to enlarge - cardinal outside window today)

Mom also loved cardinals, and one showed up outside our dining room window today, sitting on a branch for the longest time...


Mom loved Christmas. She loved everything about it - decorating the house, singing Christmas carols, enjoying family, all of us riding around to look at Christmas lights, watching Christmas movies on TV, sending and receiving Christmas cards... everything about the season...


(Mom and my sister, Christmas in the 80's)

Every year her mirror was trimmed with holly, and Rudolph always had a place of honor right in the center...

Mom's manger, shown here with mom & dad's cat, Gypsy, in the background (photo from the 80's)

Mom and Dad, Christmas 1957

Mom passed away 12 years ago today and was buried on Christmas Eve day. I didn't know how I would ever get through Christmas that year, let alone ever enjoy one again. Mom was always cheerful and happy, and the last thing she would have wanted was for us to be sad... Time is also a great healer... grief subsides and tears are eventually replaced by happy memories, shared stories, and laughter.

Anyhow, I thought about you a lot today, Mom... You loved snowy days, and watching the birds and squirrels (especially your cardinals!). You would have loved today, so I captured the day in photos for you... and I smiled as I thought about you...

(our backyard Saturday afternoon)

(a junco at the bird feeder Friday afternoon)

(the bird feeder this morning, piled high with snow from overnight)

(a gentle mourning dove at the feeder Saturday afternoon)

(a junco at the feeder Saturday afternoon)

(the male cardinal, from the dining room window)

(isn't he striking in this winter wonderland?)

(I think he rather liked having his picture taken)

(a snowy Sammy eating sunflower seeds)

(The angle of the lace valance in this photo reminded me of a church window)

(Christmas day, 1980's)

Merry Christmas, Mom... We love you! You were, and always will be, the best Mom/Nana ever!

All my love, always...

Donna