Sunday, February 15, 2015

Garden Calm Before The Storm. . . . . . . .


Saturday afternoon we were able to do a little garden clean up and some pruning.
It was cool, sunny and at first not windy, but things soon changed and the 
sky became a bit threatening, so we packed up and came in to get ready for 
an evening out, supper and some Shakespeare - "Much Ado About Nothing" -
at our local community theatre.

The always sweet and gentle Mourning doves cleaning up the crumbs on this morning.



One Robin has stayed around permanently this Winter. 
He's surprised me by bathing daily as the frozen water melts, this often assisted 
by us emptying a kettle of hot water to speed things up.
 He's also loving the suet feeder and often stands guard over it for up to five 
minutes and scares other birds away.

Feeding in pairs - House Finches


"Hey you guys looking out the window, guess where I'm headed?"

This is an easy to recognize squirrel because of the little white tufts of fur behind his ears. 
He comes to the feeders constantly and it takes some chasing to keep him away for long. 
Our neighbors must think us nuts always running down the front steps clapping 
our hands and yelling "Get out of there you naughty squirrel". . . . . . . or sometimes
 worse language I won't repeat here!


Here's another visitor knowing he's misbehaving. This is when the humans run down 
the steps clapping hands and shouting rude words!

Yes, we are cute, aren't we?

"But we love it here and will clean up the seeds then come back tomorrow".



I'm sharing the wildlife now because all may be white in the next day or so. 
Arctic blast, chance of SNOW at long last - will be our first of the season!


10 comments:

  1. Your bird photos are gorgeous, Mary. Don't you just love the Mourning Dove? I have a few at my feeders at our property and love watching them basking in the sun. Yesterday I had a Pileated Woodpecker drop by. He is very large compared to any of the other visitors. Apparently, Woody Woodpecker was one of those. :) Hope you had a nice Valentine's Day. It is so cold here today we are questioning going to our lot. Still some things to do, though and I'd love to fill the feeders. Poor birds. Love the header....all my favorite colours. Hugs, Deb

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  2. Oh that new header is as lovely as a breath of fresh springtime air. Love it!
    You've captured some great shots of the resident wildlife. I'm amazed at that robin hanging around for so long. Although it seems he knows a good thing when he sees it. Those squirrels are tenacious little guys aren't they? I've been known to chase down a few too. We just replaced the metal lid on our "squirrel proof" birdfeeder where the little buggers had chewed a hole into it.
    Sounds like you're in good shape for the coming arctic blast. I'm secretly hoping for some of the white stuff.
    Stay warm.

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  3. I enjoyed seeing the birds and squirrels in your beautiful photos. Especially the robin drinking in the bird bath. We're having a huge blizzard here today so are staying put. Church is cancelled and the roads are drifting with the blowing snow. I hope you get a pretty snowfall Mary. I know you've been waiting all winter for one. :) Stay warm. xx Pam

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  4. Such great pictures of the birds and squirrels Mary. We are suppose to get 4-8 inches of snow tonight through tomorrow....We are all stocked up and ready to ride it out.

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  5. I have never seen a robin eating up off the ground. He doesn't know he's a robin, methinks.

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  6. Even pesky little frisky squirrels need to eat, too. :) Always love watching the birds. Your photos are lovely. Warm wishes, Tammy

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  7. Mary, I'm sure that yours is one of the first gardens that the bird and squirrel parents tell their babies about!
    We don't have Robins here but I would welcome them too - all birds are welcome in my garden.
    How was the play?
    Hugs

    Shane

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  8. I'm not looking forward to the storm heading my way tomorrow. I hope I don't lose power and heat! Fingers crossed...

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  9. Oh, I hope the storm passes quickly and doesn't cause too much havoc.
    Your robin is a cheerful visitor. His cousins have been around here for a few weeks now, alighting in great numbers on the lawn and shrubs. The pesky squirrels are fun, but bothersome at times.

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  10. I just love your birds and squirrels. When we put out the suet it is gone in a day mostly by the flickers.
    And those pesky squirrels!!!!! I use to throw things at them and yell at them, but they stay. I think we
    have given up. Now we just watch their antics, silly squirrels.

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