This female Northern Cardinal blends in very well; only her beak betrays her presence.
Blends in.
Tag: bird
Clings.
A molting American Goldfinch clings to the nyger seed feeder.
Sprightly.
I was fortunate to capture this Chipping Sparrow, a sprightly visitor to the backyard.
A precarious place, revisited.
It is day 14 of the Mourning Dove sitting its nest. While not that cold – it’s 1C – it’s a miserable day with moderate to heavy snow falling and likely continuing for several more hours.
The incubation period is 14 days, according to All About Birds. I hope another two days elapse before hatching; while the snow likely ends tonight, tomorrow nights’ low may dip to -5C.
A very tough time. Fingers crossed. We will see what we see.
A precarious place.
While standing at the door pondering whether to let Fitzi in, a small movement caught my attention. This Mourning Dove had ducked, apparently trying to hide from me. It has apparently made a nest at the very end of the sheds’ eavestrough roughly 3 meters from where I stood just inside the door. It may be a precarious place to build a nest. We will see how this turns out.
Returned.
It’s good to see that the swallows have returned. I was pleased to see these Tree Swallows swooping over a shallow pond.
Tundra Swans.
Tundra Swans gather by the thousands in the corn- and potato-fields near Grand Bend Ontario as they start their journey to their nesting grounds in the far north.
Were fortunate to be able to detour last weekend to see the swans. It was an overcast day with light snow falling. These two commuted from a field on one side of the road we observed from, to a field on the other side of the road.
Rarely visit.
Although American Crows overwinter in the tens, if not hundreds, of thousands in my area, they rarely visit the backyard. This is the first one I have seen in the backyard in four or five years.
Found it.
It has been a cold and very dry January. Open water has been a scarce resource for the songbirds that we feed. The heated bird bath failed. I bought and put out a new one, and the American Goldfinches found it within fifteen minutes.
Skittered.
A Dark-eyed Junco skittered across a porch step after a recent snowfall.
I want to thank you, my dear readers, for visiting my blog. I also want to wish you merry Christmas, joyous Kwanzaa, hope you have had a happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, an excellent solstice, and a healthy, prosperous 2022.
previouslytexan 