Eating Habits Of Blue Jays

February 13, 2025

Bluejay

A boisterous, rowdy bird that lets everyone know that it has joined the party. The Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata).

Blue Jays have a varied diet of nuts, seeds, berries and small fruits. They will also eat insects, spiders, snails, birds’ eggs, small rodents, frogs, carrion, and baby birds.

At the feeder you can watch them gulp and gulp and gulp down oodles of food. They are actually stuffing something that is called a gular pouch. A storage spot in their throat that is used for storage and transport of excess food. Allowing the Blue Jay to stash that extra food in the woods for times of need.

Sometimes with this stashing, they are planting things in the woods. They don’t always get back to those nuts and seeds.

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Much Snow And Many Birds

February 12, 2025

This morning I measured our snow. Eight inches with much rain sinking to the bottom of the accumulation.

Birds were in panic mode. There was suet out already. That’s always a popular place but there were no hulled sunflower seeds out on TOP of the snow. After I scattered some out many gathered to have breakfast and were happy again.

This is a pair of Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) captured by my camera this morning. I spotted six of these beautiful birds at one point. During mating season the male is extremely territorial. Wikipedia points out, “He may mistake his image on various reflective surfaces as an invading male and will fight his reflection relentlessly.”

Our dear friend Gary knows this all too well, the male Cardinal will fight his reflection relentlessly.

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A Snow Day

February 11, 2025

The snow started this morning at about 9:15, coming down at a good clip. That lasted a while and then it slowed, only to get serious again a bit before noon. And that has continued through the day. Beautiful, serious snow coming down. Even now nearly twelve hours after it first started snow is falling at a serious rate.

During the day birds were plentiful, looking for whatever they could find to eat. Here, one of the many, a Chickadee (Poecile).

A couple hours ago I measured the depth of the snow. Seven inches. And still coming down.

It’s not holding back.

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Still There For The Birds

February 10, 2025

Fruits, berries, or technically drupes of Blackhaw Viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium). Waiting for birds to find them. As is the case here, sometimes it is well into winter before these drupes are discovered and eaten. A time when there are fewer things to eat. Located out by the end of my lane, I keep an eye on them, since I’m curious about when they will be eaten.

The Blackhaw Viburnum is a large bush or small tree, sometimes reaching a height of ten or twenty feet. Its flowers grow in a flat topped cluster, blooming in early spring.

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Snowdrops By The Back Porch

February 9, 2025

Soon to open, Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis). Native to Europe. Though not native, it is a well behaved plant. Two leaves emerge from a bulb along with a single pedicel, or stem, with a solitary flower. Three to six inches tall.

It is said that Snowdrops blooming indicate that spring is coming. However since they begin blooming in early February, I simply take it as an affirmation that it is indeed winter.

Quite the treat for the middle of winter.

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And NOW There Is Power!

February 8, 2025

It is Saturday evening as I sit here typing this. You might recall on Thursday I posted a blog about my Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) which had been painted by Mother Nature with a thick, beautiful, coating of silvery ice.

Early Thursday morning that ice event caused many many trees to come down blocking the road down the mountain. It also caused oodles of trees to come down on power lines. There has been no power here at the cabin since then, until just a few minutes ago. The generator which had been chugging loudly since then turned itself off. The welcome silence that occurred, said to me, “You have power again!”

During the time with no power the generator kept most things going but not the heat pump and not the washer and dryer. Thank goodness for the woodstove. Those lovely flames you see through the door kept the cabin warm all that time.

Hooray for power again!

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Ice On The Filaments

February 7, 2025

Another plant that is a state flower. This is a Yucca Filamentosa (Yucca filamentosa). A species of Yucca that is native to Viriginia. The Yucca is the state flower of New Mexico, though there is no particular species mentioned in that designation. I’m taking advantage of that lack of stipulation since I love the state of New Mexico and enjoy having its state flower in my yard.

The filamentosa in the name of this Yucca refers to the multitude of curly threads that extend from the edges of the sword-shaped leaves. The ice that Mother Nature painted everything with yesterday was captured easily by those filaments creating an icicle nest of sorts.

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Lovely Scene To Wake Up To

February 6, 2025

It was forecasted and it sure did happen. A totally gorgeous sight to wake up to. That is, wake up to after the transformer just a couple hundred feet away blew up. Thank goodness for the generator which came on right after the power went out. Oh but what a delightful sight. Mother Nature had painted absolutely everything with a thick layer of ice.

This, one of her subjects. Black-eyed Susans, not to be confused with other Black-eyed Susans. **These are special** The state flower of Maryland. Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta).

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Sharp-shinned Hawk

February 5, 2025

What a surprise this afternoon after I refilled the birdbath. I was back inside when I noticed a Bluejay sized bird fly into the garden, then up into the Flowering Dogwood. Certainly not a Bluejay, just that size.

A Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus). These hawks prey upon small birds for the most part, and sometimes will dine on large insects, frogs, lizards and small mammals. The male of this species is the smallest hawk in the United States and Canada.

Needless to say, all the other birds vanished when this little hawk arrived.

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Box Elder Samaras

February 4, 2025

Box Elder (Acer negundo), a species of Maple that is native to much of eastern North America and in many scattered areas throughout the rest of the continent, all the way south to Guatemala. There is even a Box Elder County in Utah.

These are seeds of Box Elder, called helicopters or samaras. Perhaps you recall, from your childhood, why they are called helicopters. They twirl to the ground as they fall.

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