Dear Husband came out to the kitchen to sit this morning and said, “There’s a gross beak!  Wait, that’s not right.”  I walked over to look out the window, and there is our token Rufous Sided Towhee!  DH realized the colors were right, but the beak was wrong for a gross beak.  I had no idea that he had been paying attention to the birdwatching that had gone on when my mother was with us.  Clearly, he’s interested.

We get several birds who stop by on their way to more northerly homes for the summer.  It’s time to watch for the yellow-bellied sapsucker, and the evening gross beak.

P.S. Cop Car, I checked, and it’s an Eastern Towhee, not a Spotted Towhee! *G*

I know that Cop Car will ask, “Which kind?”  and of course  wasn’t able to compare it to those in my bird books.  We were driving to exercise yesterday, April 12th, and Dear Husband saw the first of the egrets in the retention pond just down the road.  I’ll be a terrible driver in that area for the next seven months or so, as I try to get a look at the egrets and herons.

I posted his./her coming on Facebook, and suggested that this is a scout, come to make sure that the weather is ready for them.  He may turn around and go back to the flock and tell them to hold off:  it’s still winter here!

My-Sister-The-Nurse lives about 45 minutes south of us, and she says they have had egrets and herons for some time, but they look a little strange with their ear muffs and boots! *G*

I’m glad they are back.  It’s a piece of the Spring jigsaw puzzle that we’ve been waiting to find, and it feels good to know we are closer to our warmer weather.

While I’ve had my nose to the grindstone, we’ve had some interesting things happening in the grove around us.  I learned a few years ago that robins apparently stay in this area year round, but you couldn’t prove it by me.  I’d never seen a robin in the winter until this year, and I saw and entire FLOCK of them at the beginning of March!  I was in the great room, looking out the windows to where the sump pump discharges into a small pool.  I shouted at Dear Husband, “There’s a robin…..wait, two, three, FOUR…FIVE…!!!  There were more than five, taking turns getting a drink and bathing in the water!  I was astonished, and so very pleased to have seen them.  Apparently, our weather prior to the last two weeks or so was mild enough to bring them back to us.

Then the weather closed in.  We had heavy wet snow one day, and I was amazed to see sixteen male cardinals and their ladies waiting for their turns at the feeder.  I was able to get a small portion of them in a picture from the kitchen window.

I noticed that the red-wing blackbirds have returned.  They play relatively nicely with our winter birds below the feeders, but their relatives, the blackbirds and starlings, will be back soon, and then it will be a free for all!

This morning, as I got ready to send my sister on her way to the last day of her conference, we heard a cardinal sing: birdie,    birdie, birdie, BIR-DIE!!!  One of the best things about living here has been all the birds that keep us company. *S*

I had a few extra minutes this morning before heading out to exercise and I chose to use it to feed the birds.  We had the tail end of a snowstorm that probably gave Cop Car about a foot of snow.  After midnight the snow began here, but it looks to me as though we got two inches or less.  When I looked out the north windows over the herb garden, there wasn’t a bird to be seen.  I checked first for the hawk that’s taken to waiting in the apple tree, and then realized there must not be any seed in the feeders.

I filled three of the feeders and added berry suet to both suet holders and came inside for toast.  Within three minutes of closing the back door there were thirteen male cardinals and assorted lady cardinals, a house finch, a few sparrows, a chickadee and an eastern starling taking turns at the feeders.  I really need to borrow a camcorder to film this morning ritual, to put on the kitchen counter for those who come to see the house.

I hope your birds bring you as much pleasure as ours bring to us.  Have a good morning!

We have a store nearby called “Farm & Fleet.” It’s one of a chain of stores, and we used to have to drive all the way to Ottawa to shop at one. Dear Husband looks for tools for work, and things from the hardware section. I’ve purchased boots and gloves, and work pants for DH. They have cleaning supplies, and a big Santa’s Workshop in November, but the thing that drew me to them today was bird seed.
I had two-thirds of a bin of seed and wanted to stock up while it was still on sale. I bought 100 pounds of black oil sunflower seed, and several mixes of seed. There was a Golden Harvest Blend that was heavy on cracked corn, and one for Songbirds. I bought one bag of nyger that will carry us through the winter, and a “Midwest” blend that looked just right for the birds we hope to attract. I also bought two bags of shelled peanuts. When it was all mixed into the bins I ended up with three and a quarter bins plus the nyger and a dozen suet cakes.
I’ll have to go back. If we have a tough winter, this won’t be enough to fill three feeders on a regular basis. I’d rather buy a little more, now, while it’s on sale, than risk running out and having to pay much higher prices, or not finding any left to purchase.
I’ve cut back in a lot of ways over the past year, but I’d like to keep feeding the birds.

Janeywan, a friend whom I see regularly on Facebook, reminded me that I hadn’t posted recently. I’ve been pondering what to say, when I was handed an opportunity.
I was sitting at my personal computer, working on labels for quilts, when I heard a tapping at the windows behind me. When I turned to see if it was a flock of little birds, I discovered that we were getting a rain of tiny pellets of hail! It’s all melted off, but that gives you an idea what the temperatures are like here. A cold front moved in yesterday with winds almost strong enough to blow me off my feet when I was running errands.
I took a break after watching the hail for a moment, and headed out to the kitchen, where i practically came beak to beak with a Cooper’s Hawk, who was sitting in the bushes right next to the bird feeder just outside the window. They are incredibly smart birds who have learned to use the feeders to their advantage in hunting for their dinner. I watched for a bit, and then moved so that he (or she) would fly off. I understand that they need to eat, too, but I don’t feel that I need to assist them. We don’t harm them, but we don’t encourage them at the feeder, either.
Speaking of feeders, I need to find a bird seed sale! And, the juncos are back!
I hope you’ve all been enjoying Fall, and are deep in plans for Thanksgiving.