(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