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. :)

Monsters at the Feeders

I'm a bit late with this post, but the subjects are still hanging around the house, so I don't feel too bad about the delay. In late January, we started getting visits at our window feeders from some new and unexpected creatures. Who's that hulking behind the little Pine Siskin?

Red Crossbill!

I had seen crossbills in the area already, so I knew they were around, but I had no idea they would come to feeders. Crossbill beaks are specialized for extracting pine seeds -- and the last time I saw crossbills fairly up close, during an irruption year back in Connecticut, that's what they were doing -- but I guess they must like sunflower seeds as well! I was actually away when the crossbills first showed up at our feeders, and Paul started sending me pictures asking about the identity of these new "monsters." I was super surprised, and happy that they decided to stick around so I could see them for myself. Monsters indeed!

Red Crossbills are now regular visitors at our feeders along with their finchy fellows the House Finches and Pine Siskins, and we've gotten the whole range of colors -- red males, orange males, and yellow females, sometimes all in the same feeder at once (ah, we really do need to clean these windows):

Most recently, deep red males have been showing up together in pairs; I don't know for sure that it's the same pair every time, but I regularly find myself announcing that "the boys are back":

I absolutely love the colors on these guys:

And I'd never noticed this wonderful iridescence before (also, look, crossbill tongue):

Also baffling is the fact that some crossbill beaks cross over on the right and others on the left:

And so I'll add yet another astonishing Northern California experience to the list. Such weird and awesome birds!

Catching Up With 2015: Yard Birds

As 2015 winds to a close, I finally find myself with time to share some sightings I've had in my pocket for a month or two!

Our little suburban-yard-on-a-peninsula has been doing an amazing job of attracting birds, and I love seeing the feathered creatures that show up to pick over the dirt/weeds or grab sunflower seeds from our feeders. Since about November (when I took most of these pictures), the cast of characters has stabilized, and I've gotten to know some of these northwestern birds pretty well.

Red-breasted Nuthatches are so dainty -- especially compared to the White-breasted Nuthatches I'm much more familiar with. We don't have any White-breasted Nuthatches in our yard, but we do get frequent visits from their smaller, fairy-like cousins:

This fellow posed for me before diving down to grab a sunflower seed; nuthatches are so pointy:

And they get extra adorable when all puffed up:

Seed obtained, it's off to a nearby pine tree for processing:

Black-capped Chickadees are often around:

But Chestnut-backed Chickadees are especially frequent visitors. I love these little birds in their fancy brown vests:

Down on the ground (but sometimes bold enough to come up to the feeders), we get lots of sparrows. Our Dark-eyed Juncos are of the Oregon sub-species, with their brown bodies and coal-dipped heads:

The Fox Sparrows here are also different from the eastern version of this species; they're darker ("Sooty," as the subspecies name says):

I think Fox Sparrows have the handsomest triangle-patterned breasts:

These are almost certainly my favorite sparrows around here; they're big and bulky and beautiful, and they're super fun to watch as they dig up the ground:

The totally new sparrow for me is the Golden-crowned Sparrow, another bulky-looking bird that's often running over the ground in our yard:

Golden-crowned indeed, although these winter adults and juveniles are pretty plain compared to the adults in their summer breeding costumes (which I've not yet seen in person):

Even in the winter, I think these sparrows are quite handsome:

As for finches, House Finches stop by every few days:

But our most constant finch visitors since about mid-November are the Pine Siskins:

What beautiful yellow highlights you have in your wings, fancy bird:

These little birds are extremely bold -- we can easily stand inches away from them as they eat from our window feeders -- and they're also incredibly bossy. (The Pine Siskins who showed up at our feeders last winter in Ohio were the same way.) If one of our siskins wants to eat from the feeder, it will invariably scare off other birds (including other siskins) who want to try to grab a seed. Some siskins are almost always around -- we often have one bird camped out at each of our three feeders -- but a few times so far we've gotten some big flocks of siskins coming through our yard all at once. Paul took this video of one of our Pine Siskin fiestas in early December; I'm sure traveling in a big flock like this has its advantages, but it sure doesn't let anybody get food easily from our small feeders:



It's been such a treat to get to know our November and December yard birds. Who knows what birds will show up in our yard in the new year!

(And now... more catching-up posts. Stay tuned!)

Pine Siskins and American Goldfinches

I think we've moved quickly past fall and firmly into winter. We had our first real snow at the beginning of the week (just a few inches), and the weather's been unrelentingly frigid and windy since then, with highs in the 30s during the day and lows in the single digits at night. So yes, hello winter!

All the birds in our yard are active in this wintry weather, especially around our feeders, and the finches are making a particularly strong appearance. Yesterday, I was surprised and happy to see that some new winter visitors have blown into our yard. Look, Pine Siskins!

My first thought when I saw one these birds was actually "wow, why is that goldfinch so stripey"? They really are remarkably similar to American Goldfinches, just about exactly the same size, with similar finchy mannerisms and dark barred wings. We've had goldfinches at our feeders for weeks now, so of course that was my first assumption about the ID of these small brown birds. But no, once I payed attention, these were no goldfinches. American Goldfinches look quite different, as several nearby handsome individuals made clear:

I've seen Pine Siskins only a few times before -- once during a winter visit to Paul's family in New Jersey, and again on a vacation in Utah -- and while these birds wander into Connecticut in small numbers in the winter, I never did see them while I lived there. And they're not common in Ohio either. So it's exciting indeed to have these northern birds visiting our Ohio yard! I'm really liking their yellow-accented wing feathers and pointy beaks:

Quite a subtly pretty bird:

The best surprise has been that the black oil sunflower seeds we put in our window feeders have been such a hit with the various finches in our yard. I'd thought that finches only went for smaller seeds (like thistle), which we don't offer, but the American Goldfinches, House Finches, and now Pine Siskins seem to like the sunflower seeds perfectly well:

Another fun surprise: I've noticed in recent weeks that the American Goldfinches are really bossy at our feeders, frequently chasing off larger Tufted Titmice and holding their ground with raised wings and open beaks. But now the Pine Siskins are here, and apparently they hold rank over even the goldfinches. If a siskin's at the feeder, it's going to stay there for as long as it darn well pleases, and if it wants a seed on the other end of the feeder, well the other birds had better get out of the way. I have way too much fun watching these various birds interact. Here's a video of one of the ultra-bossy Pine Siskins doing its thing (don't mind the somewhat dirty window):



Hooray for snow and winter birds! Who knows what fancy visitors will show up next.