At The Watering Hole


Yellow-shafted Flicker, Colaptes auratus

It was surprising to me, the popularity of the old watering hole, just outside my kitchen window, when the temperatures dropped. I’ve had a cool little dripper device hooked up there, for years, which has brought a nice population of birds to entertain me, wet their whistles and satisfy their thirst.

White-throated Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophyrys

We had a impressive cold snap last week, which brought to my yard, temperatures in the teens and a dusting of snow. Made me so happy. It did have me scurrying around though. Where in the world did I put the water warmer? Of course, right where it should be in the outside storage.

Eastern Bluebird (female), Sialia sialis

An easy switch from the dripper to the water warmer. Now, I just need to remember to keep the water level high. A simple task, since I’m constantly looking out there to see who my customers are! This Eastern Bluebird and several others showed up on Thanksgiving morning, making it an extra special holiday.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus varius

The surprise though, was the sharp increase in visitors to the bird bath. It was like I had the only saloon open in all the wild west! That was during the coldest of the cold temperatures.

Hermit Thrush, Catharus guttatus

Now that the temperatures have warmed back up, just a tiny bit, the visitors to the bird bath have dropped to their normal numbers many a day rather than herds and herds of critters, quenching their thirst.

Cedar Waxwing, Bombycilla garrulus

I’ll keep the water warmer out there, rather than having to switch back and forth. They know where the water is!

Downy Woodpecker, Picoides pubescens

I’ve added to the temptations. I’ve put out black oil sunflower seeds, and smeared some peanut butter onto the top of one of the fence posts. I don’t have a formal feeder.

Crow—we have both American Crows and Fish Crows, not sure which this is!

I live in Black Bear country. Black Bears are very curious creatures. Having a bird feeder out invites a bear to come in and dismantle it, just because they are such curious animals.

Black Bear, Ursus americanus

This guy, walking out my lane, is dripping wet, after taking a dip in my little pond. He can search and search, but he won’t find any bird feeders to devour here at my cabin!

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, Regulus calendula

From huge Woodpeckers, to tiny Kinglets, these are the visitors to my yard and my old watering hole.

American Robin, Turdus migratorius

Robins, Cardinals, Crows, Thrushes, Chickadees, Titmice, Sparrows, Wrens, all are welcome.

Northern Cardinal (male), Cardinalis cardinalis

I’ll even put up with an occasional Squirrel, since he’s a great one for helping to regenerate the forest, as he goes about gathering acorns, nuts and seeds, promptly forgetting where he buried them, becoming a tree farmer.  Plant those trees, Mr. Squirrel!

Eastern Gray Squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis

In the meantime, I will be waiting for more cold temperatures and snow!

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