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