I love my garden. I am crazy about gardening. I have an insatiable need to grow things. So in previous years, winter seemed so very long....and tedious.....and I missed all the flowers, and greenery, bugs, bees and butterflies. I missed going outside and seeing what was new, what needed to be trimmed, what spaces needed new plants. All those fun garden chores!
I also love bird watching. I love taking pictures of birds. I love to anticipate seeing a bird I've never seen before. But I can't do that as much during the garden growing time because the birds are so well hidden in the trees, and bushes and behind all the plants. And you really can't sneak up on a bird......
So along comes this Winter and all of the sudden I have a brand new appreciation for the desolation in the garden. Birds!!!! Everywhere! And I can see them! Plus, I put out delicious, healthy bird food for them. They tell all their families and friends! We have parties all day long! I was trying to devise a way to build the perfect bird blind in my yard so I could sit out there for hours without them knowing, and then I realized I already have the most perfect, heated, comfortable bird blind of all.......
With my most amazing husband's encouragement and generosity, I now have a new camera to learn how to use and enhance my developing picture taking skills. It's like a daydreamer's dream come true. I can sit for hours and stare out the window and it's totally justified! Leftovers again tonight! Let's order pizza! Dinner? UH OH! We are now doing a scientific experiment to see how fast dust accumulates and how much we can tolerate. Our dog, Rocky, has a pretty nifty tail, maybe he can hit all the lower spots.
So, my December 2020 backyard bird species count was around 24. Lots and Lots of sparrows and doves. And then waves of large groups of female red-winged blackbirds, cedar waxwings and pine siskins. And a pretty good number of Blue Jays, Cardinals, Carolina Chickadees and Robins.
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| House Sparrow |
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| House Sparrow |
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| White-winged Dove |
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Male and female Red-winged Blackbirds while snowing
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White-throated Sparrow
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| Song Sparrow |
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The Cedar Waxwings are so cool all dressed up in their uniform. I have a few pictures to share of them.
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| Blue Jay |
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Female Cardinal
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Male Cardinal
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| Female Cardinal |
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Carolina Chickadee
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| American Robin |
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And the rest of the visitors to the yard.............
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American Goldfinch
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| American Goldfinch |
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Tufted Titmouse
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Downy Woodpecker
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House Wren
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Northern Flicker
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Red-bellied Woodpecker
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Dark-eyed Junco
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Red-tailed Hawk
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Carolina Wren
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Northern Mockingbird
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| Yellow-rumped Warbler | |
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So here I sum it all up by a link to a song by the Eels called 'I Like Birds'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wllffexVmSw
