More Crows, more birds and critters.............

The Crows are really getting through the bread and are quite vocal about me getting out there to feed them. They will have a treat tomorrow, I saved the bacon grease for them they love that. Isn't he pretty?

I got some pictures of the squirrels. I hate to chase them off and will allow them their time for eating. They love the peanut butter and the peanuts in shells. Look at the little hands shelling the peanuts



Then there are the grey squirrels, look at the feast this one is enjoying


The Starlings like to huddle in the grapevine. Its a refuge for all the small birds too. A place they can eat out of the elements somewhat.


Look out my bathroom window at the hoard of Starlings waiting their turn in the trees


I have been wondering what this is all about. I have noticed that what I thought were squirrel nests, the Starlings and Blue Jays seem to hang out around them. I wonder what they find to eat? Fleas? Or maybe squirrels stash food in there? Anyway, several that were large at onset of winter now seem depleated and pulled apart

We had several little red finches come to visit. It's nice to see something different on occasion. I wish I could pull more birds in.

A couple of the regulars



Well not a lot new to show you, it's just been so cold, I feel so bad for the critters. I saw a rabbit this morning. He got on the deck the same way that the cat does, under the gate. Well there is plenty of food that falls to the floor so its good to see someone is getting to it. I was not quick enough to get a picture. I will be more careful tomorrow and see if he is there again.
Linking with Adorned from above

My Crows.................

As you know, I have been encouraging the local Crows to come and feed. They are very reluctant to come in and feed, hang back longer than the other birds do. I was outside taking pictures and got a few shots of them waiting and thinking about coming down to eat. The Starlings kept eating all the bread before they could get down to it.
Here are two of them waiting for breakfast. Snuggled up against the cold.

This one got closer to see what was on the table for breakfast

Finally he came down and grabbed a mouth full, and kept on stuffing it in.


So then with his mouth packed full he goes up onto the garage roof to eat at leasure.

This guy went looking for bits that got dropped by either other Crows or the Starlings who over packed their beaks

The Crows will dig through the snow to find every last morsel. I love this picture of the crow patiently awaiting his chance to get down and eat.

Clean up before Breakfast while the other two snuggle.


So that's a day in the life of my Crows, well a small part of their day anyway.

Freezing again........

The temperatures today started out at minus 12........I think it got up to minus one. The sun was out though and it was such a beautiful day. Blue skys. Bitter bitter cold. I wonder how the birds and animals survive. I know that they have been chowing down continuously the last few days. I have spent a fortune on bird foods.
Just bought a huge bag today at Sam's. I usually go to McGough's

we were once a farming town and we still have a few remnants of that time. We have Tractor Supply as well and they sell farm machinery as well as food and chicks in Springtime, things like that. SO bird food is cheaper than in stores or bird stores like Birds Unlimited. They also have a large variety.
Well the birds were so cold. Most stood on one leg so that they could warm the other. They didnt go far from the feeders either. They sat up in the trees and seemed to take turns coming down.


The Hawk has been hanging around but so far has not caught any of my birds. I have been putting extra feeding stations for the small ones so everyone can get in and eat. This squirrel braved the cold. It was so windy yesterday that the snow froze on his fur.

I think just about every sort of bird that normally come were here yesterday. Today, in the sun, not so many. I would think they found sunny spots and tried to warm up. I love the faces of the Titmouse.


The BlueJay made a pretty picture

The woodpeckers came in for the suet, some have fruit in it and or nuts and seeds. They love it.

The snow made some pretty vignettes. I am ready for it to be gone now.

Our downstairs bathroom froze up. The toilet plus hot and cold water taps. Nice...........hope they don't burst.

Winter poems...............

"In the bleak midwinter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone,
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter,
Long ago."
- Christina Rossetti
Snow-Flakes

Out of the bosom of the Air,
Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft, and slow
Descends the snow.
Even as our cloudy fancies take
Suddenly shape in some divine expression,
Even as the troubled heart doth make
In the white countenance confession,
The troubled sky reveals
The grief it feels.
This is the poem of the air,
Slowly in silent syllables recorded;
This is the secret of despair,
Long in its cloudy bosom hoarded,
Now whispered and revealed
To wood and field.

(not my picture)
Spellbound
The night is darkening round me,
The wild winds coldly blow;
But a tyrant spell has bound me
And I cannot, cannot go.

The giant trees are bending
Their bare boughs weighed with snow.
And the storm is fast descending,
And yet I cannot go.

Clouds beyond clouds above me,
Wastes beyond wastes below;
But nothing drear can move me;
I will not, cannot go.

Emily Jane Brontë :

(not my picture)
Just a few winter poems for a change of pace. I hope you enjoy them.
Sharing with Inspire me Monday at create with Joy

Total Surprise............

Yes I did get a surprise yesterday in my garden. A hawk of some kind came down. He was disturbed before he could snack on any of my birds. I could not get a good look or a good picture, but here he is.

Its hard to guess who he is. I want to say I hope he comes back but..........I don't want him eating my babies. I think the Starlings probably attracted him because they were here in full force. The Mourning Doves were a good target as this one was napping. They spend a lot of time napping. They come in and eat, then nap so they don't have to fly back. They just hang out. They look so peaceful but they are cranky with the other birds and deliver some good whacks with their beaks.

They are pretty birds.

I am getting through quite a few loaves of bread and a lot of bird food. The Crow flys over and cawwws for me to come out and feed him.
I can't wait to be able to get outside and begin to clean up. I am going to begin looking at garden magazines I think. I need to get some ideas for this year. I know that friends in England have the shoots coming up already. Then again I think they had some snow. Here the ground is so frozen it will take awhile for the snow to melt. The temperatures keep the ice on the ground.
Anyway, for now no new news.
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