Hello 2025:) Snow, rain, snow…it’s a start!
It’s been quite the up and down! I do prefer the up, no wind, hovering at freezing would be grand! That was not the last few days where howling North winds made for -24° C windchill and I was longing for something a tad warmer! I am a tropical girl at heart! At least we haven’t had a excess of snow plows, I should bite my tongue…;)
Even the cats have been reluctant to wander outside much, except Groot the snow cat! I think he is training the black squirrels, desensitizing then to his presence under the picnic table so one day, he will pounce! They walk up to within a foot or two of him, or maybe, just maybe, they are a tad large with great big teeth. The jury is still out!
Not the best bird watching/photography companion but I have to keep an eye on him! We have an agreement, he can’t have the bright red cardinal! I topped tormenting the jays with the snowmen and had a go with a seed ball Mike’s lovely Godmother Ute gave us! The chickadees were delighted and even the Downy woodpeckers had a go!
These chickadees, a smile a secound! Walking out to check the mail has been fine on the non windy days, the road isn’t too slippery but pretty quiet out there except for footprints in the snow!
There were some massive coyote prints! I can make out the fox as they are much smaller and footsteps are closer together, the deer are obvious and how quickly they are moving by how deep the indent is, or if they are casually dragging their back feet along as they mosey down the road:) Always something to see, if you look! I caught our local Ruffed Grouse crossing the road in front of me, such beautiful tones of brown and gray! I heard a pecking out at the mailboxes and thought must be a Hairy excavating a dead tree but after I checked the mail, nothing, and then stopped to look up, a beautiful female Pileated Woodpecker stared back down at me!
The wood chips were a flying!
I love the yellow on her forehead:) Most days it’s just Turkey tail fungus and removing branches from the road as I walk along! Someone has to do it! Ha! The dried out turkey tail are winter flowers!:)
It has been the nice the male Cardinal has stuck around. He doesn’t go to the feeders but pokes about on the ground with the Dark eyed juncos and American Tree Sparrows. Such a bright flash of colour, even in the falling snow!
Photographing in the snow can be a bit of a challenge. I’ve tried from inside the car, it’s awkward being on an angle. I slipped and skidded down to the basement and pulled out the old sun umbrella, home to bats, and the heavy base and hauled them up. Set them up, put my fabric fold up chair under and decided this would work! Now if it’s windy, it is a no go, but for gentle falling snow, it keeps me somewhat warmer and drier! 🙂
It wouldn’t be fun without a session with the blue jays who eyed the large umbrella with some hesitation!
The training continues;)
We’ve had a lovely little Brown Creeper about, so fast and quick. I noticed it was picking up the crumbs the woodpeckers had dropped out of the suet! At least it held still while it wolfed them down!
I do love the colours of the American Trees Sparrows, the grays and browns are so striking. So far no redpolls or grosbeaks…we’ll wait and see!
The Red Bellied woodpecker was giving the doves a once over one sunny morning! Pretty funny, they kinda look like me…but…
Always something. I guess Groot and the Traveling Mewberries will go back to squirrel training tomorrow. It is supposed to warm up a tad, yeah! It will be welcome!
I’ll leave you with them, looking thrilled in the snow! Ha!
That one of all three of them in the falling snow has to be my new favourite! Ha! Maybe we’ll get a few more reflections this month, unlikely, it was a nice surprise for the first week of January but alas, did not last. It did stop the “Darwin award recipients” from snowmobiling on the very thin ice…there were still holes open the otters were using…“The criterion for the Darwin awards states: “In the spirit of Charles Darwin, the Darwin Awards commemorate individuals who protect our gene pool by making the ultimate sacrifice of their own lives.”
“About as smart as a sack of wet mice!” as foghorn leghorn used to say…
Saludos amigos, Happy New year!
