This is their first visit for Winter 2016-2017! I hope his iPhone photo is not too large.

One bold hen flew up on the railing, down to the deck, and was eating the seed from the song birds' saucer feeders.

When she wanted to rejoin the flock under the feeder tree, she could not figure out how to get off the deck. It was hilarious. She finally remembered to fly over it.

Earlier she was walking back and forth near the outside of the big window sill, neck stretched upward, looking at us.

I was holding my breath hoping Harry and Sam would stay asleep. It would have gotten messy had they noticed the big birds just inches away.

-11, windchill is -27 and now I'm bundling up to go out and put down a lot more sunflower seed. Am I a dedicated birder - or mentally deficient?

The Christmas tree better come down today; it's better for me to take it down than to leave the task for the pups. They don't wrap the ornaments very carefully.