January-March, 2024

Wow, where does the time go? Somehow it's August already, and I still haven't posted any of the pictures of nature from around my property that have been gathering on my computer since January. So let's start to fix that! In this post, I'll share some highlights from the beginning of the year up through March. Get ready to time-warp back to winter!

This was another relatively mild winter, and there were some spans of time without any snow on the ground. These White-tailed Deer looked very handsome in the brown meadow at dusk on January 3:

Snow arrived a few days later, though, and I loved watching this little Carolina Wren as it searched for bugs in the many cracks and crevices on the snowy deck on January 7:

On January 8, I peeked through an open window while a flock of American Goldfinches fed on goldenrod seeds near the house:

On a walk around the property on February 4, I was charmed by this little frost-covered White Pine tree in the meadow:

And this Black-capped Chickadee was investigating the many holes in the old apple tree next to the driveway:

On February 18, these fertile fronds of Sensitive Fern made stark shapes against the snow-covered pond in the woods:

This Red Squirrel chattered at me from its tree as I passed by:

And these two male House Finches looked so lovely perched on the colorful twigs of this peach tree:

This winter, at least one Dark-eyed Junco became a regular visitor to the tube feeder that I kept stocked with nyjer seed; I'd only ever seen juncos eating seeds on the ground and on the platform feeder before this, but I guess this individual junco was up for trying something new!

 

The junco seemed quite comfortable with this feeding situation, even with the goldfinches jostling and chasing each other nearby:

This collection of lichen and moss on March 3 struck me as especially pretty, with such interesting shapes and colors:

Flowers emerged this year even earlier than they did last year, which was previously by far the earliest blooming I'd seen here. The snowdrops opened all the way back on February 10 this year, compared to last year's February 16; in all the previous years since I moved here, the snowdrops didn't start blooming until sometime in March. Here's a picture of one of the many honeybees that were visiting the snowdrops on sunny March 4:

On the afternoon of March 18, I noticed something small rustling in the front yard, and I got closer to find a shrew munching away at some meal in the middle of the grass. I wasn't able to figure out what the shrew was eating, and I'm not even sure which species of shrew this is, but it was very cool to get to see this creature so close up while it was just doing its thing:

Pine Siskins made a good showing at the feeders this year, especially starting in March; here are a few siskins along with House Finches, a goldfinch, and a junco on March 20:

I guess those Pine Siskins didn't want to share that corner of the feeder:

Black Bears have started showing up in the yard with greater frequency this year, including pulling down the feeders a few times.... (Notice the teeth marks in the nyjer seed feeder in the earlier pictures.) I haven't seen any bears in person yet this year, but these big tracks on March 21 made it clear that they were there, as if the damage to the feeders wasn't a big enough clue! (I bring the feeders inside at night now.)

A pair of Eastern Bluebirds chose to raise a family in the yard again this year (yay!), and here they are getting acquainted with the nest boxes on March 31:

Finally, also on March 31, this Pine Siskin stayed at the feeder while I walked nearby, so I was able to see it unusually close up; these are such fun and feisty little birds:

That's it for now! It's nice to get past the winter pictures and into spring, at least. :)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker & Co.

This gorgeous young male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker came through our yard this past Wednesday:
 

This guy hasn't got the brilliant clean red throat and cap that adult males have, and I think he's missing a black mark on his chest as well, but young or not, this is one handsome bird! I love those scalloped feathers on his chest, and yeah, his belly is kind of yellow... I guess.

Like so many other birds right now, this fellow was here for the Red Cedar's fruit!
 

Well, add another bird to the list. A Northern Flicker came by to eat these berry-like cones last year, so this Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is the second woodpecker I've seen eating from this Red Cedar. Still, it seems a strange thing for a woodpecker to do! Ah well! Who's going to tell this guy that he should be hammering tree trunks instead of munching berries?
 

That's right. Eat away!

I had way too much fun admiring this bird. I love the pattern on his back and wings:

And he looked cool in a more typically woodpecker-ish pose as well: (Look, a tiny woodpecker tongue!)

Those grappling-hook feet sure do their job well:

There were two other woodpecker species in these trees at the same time as this Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, but neither of them seemed interested in the cones. A Red-bellied Woodpecker hopped around outside of my camera's reach, and a female Downy Woodpecker (positively petite compared to the other woodpeckers) rested behind a branch:
 

She came out to forage as well, but she was after tidbits (insects? seeds other birds have secreted away?) hidden in the Red Cedar's bark:
 

And while not a woodpecker (but similar at least in those large clinging feet), this drowsy White-breasted Nuthatch was also hanging around, all puffed up against the cold:
 

I'm veering slightly off-theme again now, because I have one other yard bird to share. Yesterday, a curious little Carolina Wren apparently decided to see what all the titmouses were doing at our window feeder, and it ended up exploring the sill:

I have read that Carolina Wrens do sometimes eat sunflower seeds, but this bird either wasn't interested or couldn't quite figure out the source. It wasn't for lack of exploring, though!

You're quite the acrobat, little bird. Also, adorable:

I didn't see any Carolina Wrens in our yard all summer, but a couple of these guys have been hanging out here recently, singing their super loud songs and just basically being awesome. I certainly enjoy having them around, along with the woodpeckers and all the other cool avian visitors that stop by in the fall. :)

Sights in my family's yard in MD

Here I am in Maryland, working hard to organize things with my family! But still, I can't help taking pictures when I see cool things.... So here are some assorted sightings from my family's yard.

The American Goldfinches are here in force, flocking to the thistle feeder my parents have set out. This pretty female posed nicely for me when I was out there yesterday morning (I was in the shade, so the pictures are a little grainy):

And then she demonstrated how to get seeds from the feeder:

I'm glad I don't have to hang upside down for my food.

A whole family of Carolina Wrens was out and about yesterday morning as well. The two parents were keeping a close eye on their three fledgling babies as they hopped around in the low branches of a tree next to the driveway, testing out their growing wings. I was able to get pretty close to them, too -- the little guy in this next picture actually flew up and landed on my head, at which point I gently suggested that he should probably move somewhere else!

Just look at that big mouth, perfect for gaping, and the little dippy tail! These babies still have some growing to do, but they were managing themselves pretty well -- it looks like they'll be nicely agile adult wrens someday.

Here's a last picture, an oak tree outside my parents' window that is showing a really strange growth habit that I've never seen before:

One of these large branches is actually growing around another branch that's pressing against it. I've seen this sort of thing before with ropes or wires tied around trees, or with objects nailed into tree trunks, etc., but never with a tree and itself. Does this mean that in a few years, the tree will have a branch that goes completely through another branch? Or will there be problems because the smaller branch is actually growing as well?