January 19, 2025
A count of eight Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) while more snow was coating everything today. Crimson dots looking for hulled sunflower seeds as things became more and more covered with white.
Perhaps two inches of snow had accumulated by this evening. Winter carries on.
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January 18, 2025
A regular my the suet feeders. A Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus). Found in eastern United States year round. It’s about the same size as a Robin, 9 to 10.5 inches long, with a wingspan of 13–16.5 inches.
Its name comes from a subtle, not very often seen reddish patch on its belly.
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January 17, 2025
The Eastern Towhee’s (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) native range is eastern North America, from southeastern Canada south to Florida and west to eastern Texas.
A solitary bird that has been out looking for seeds to eat with the many birds that are showing up in my garden these snowy days. Just one though, with no Towhee buddies.
There is a white-eyed phase of the Eastern Towhee which can be found in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and South and North Carolina and a small bit of southern Virginia along the Atlantic coast.
What a shock that would be to see. Their dark red eyes are such a distinctive feature.
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January 16, 2025
A Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) yesterday, about to join in with friends enjoying the hulled sunflower seeds I’ve put out.
During the winter they’re gregarious birds. Both yesterday and today there were six Cardinals gathering the seeds along with many other species.
They’re birds that don’t migrate. Staying put in southeastern Canada, the eastern US from Maine to Minnesota to Texas, New Mexico, southern Arizona and southern California, south to Mexico, further to Belize and Guatemala.
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January 15, 2025
One Robin (Turdus migratorius) at the birdbath getting a drink this afternoon as the temperature is beginning to fall from the day’s high of 30º. It’s been mighty cold the past many days. Snow that fell more than a week ago still covers the ground as if it just fell, though by now it is rock-hard.
No other Robins are with this one. No Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) with it either. They often move about in groups eating berries.
The Robin certainly not a sign of spring. We’ve got lots more winter to come. Good thing. I’m certainly not ready for spring yet!
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January 13, 2025
A Northern Flicker (yellow shafted phase)(Colaptes auratus). One of an incredible number of birds that have been around for the peanuts, hulled sunflower seeds, and suet during this weeklong snow event. My count of species that have been in attendance is now at eighteen.
Flickers are mainly insect eaters, but during the winter they will also eat small fruits and seeds. When there is no snow on the ground they’ll eat ants and their larvae that they find underground as they pound at the soil, much like other woodpeckers go after insects in trees.
Such fun to have this snow lasting so long.
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January 12, 2025
Patiently waiting for spring. Buds of Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) covered with icy snow.
Flowering Dogwood flowers are actually not what you think. What are thought to be petals are not petals at all, but are bracts. The flowers are yellow, very small, clustered at the center, surrounded by the bracts.
In late summer into autumn, buds are formed for the following spring’s flowers. That’s what you’re seeing in this photo, buds that were formed perhaps five months ago.
Patiently waiting for spring.
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January 11, 2025
The ideal time to see newly fallen snow. Sunrise. Snow presents the landscape as a black and white drawing. Sunrise adds brush strokes, painting it with soft warm colors.
Adding colors like no others, any time of day. Subtle glows, there but for a few quick moments.
My favorite time to see newly fallen snow.
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A female Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) at the old garden gate, watching all the action.
Five days with nine inches of snow on the ground. Temperatures so cold that there is no melting. And now as I sit here writing this post there is another snow event happening.
During these snowy days I’ve upped the amount of things I’m putting out for the birds. For the past several months I’ve only had one suet feeder out on a post. Nothing more. But the morning of the first snowfall I put out a second feeder with suet in it, and I scattered hulled sunflower seeds and whole peanuts.
What a change in my bird community. I’ve counted 17 bird species. No unusual species. It’s just unusual to see them all at once, nearly all the time.
Pure pleasure for me.
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