Bird love... such a 'sweet thing'

I love the candy hearts with messages on them. When they pop up on store shelves, I know that Valentine’s day must be fast approaching…


Hearts … such a sweet symbol of love…

I happened to glance out the window today and spotted a little junco looking up at me. I went to grab my camera, and honestly didn't expect him to still be there when I got back to the window...


(click any photos to enlarge)
... but he was. It won't be long before he is flying north to Canada for the summer.…


He sat on the gate for the longest time, just looking up at the dining room window and the feeder… Perhaps he was memorizing them so he’ll be able to head straight back here next winter.


He was perched right above the heart cut-out on the backyard gate (that I wrote about here)… I like to think he was sending me some valentine love…


So eat up before your long flight, little junco… And rest assured, the feeder will be full and waiting for you when you return next winter!

Donna (we're expecting another 6+ inches of snow today... brrrrrr)

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