Every storm has an effect on the locals. We now have upper level dining...

Now the berries are ready.

Seldom can I get the pair in one frame. So glad they are here. Carolina Wrens.

Jane, I would love to see one here. I did in the Fall, but didn't score a decent picture. This is just great!

Susan

Good to see that, Jane. I have a pair this winter too - I saw them yesterday on the suet and heard them today. It's particularly nice since the Carolina wrens were devastated by the vicious winter a few years ago and are struggling to come back.

Claire

I love your photos of the berries and Wrens, Jane. I'm thinking you'll be getting more snow today and that your feeders are loaded.

We put out suet today as well as adding to the feeders and throwing peanuts to the Jays. As we were having that second cup of coffee and finishing breakfast, my dh spotted a hawk in our yard. We haven't seen much of the hawks in the last week ... until today. These shots were taken from inside and through the balusters on the deck.

It's always hard to watch a kill, but I can't think of a way to improve upon Nature.

This is an experiment, my first movie attempt usinG iMovie on iPad. I am easily amazed, but the software is incredible, really. Hope I did this correctly, but I also think I'll stick to still shots. All yours, Claire.

,

Very nice, Jane! It really captures the feeling of being out there in the cold and snow and being thankful for having food available (I'm projecting my own thoughts onto the birds, of course). It also shows what your yard looks like in winter mode.

It doesn't have to be one or the other - you take lovely still shots, but you can intersperse a movie into the mix occasionally for a different effect. I hope you will.

Claire

It's started to rain now, which is fine with me - I don't have to shovel rain. Snow will come later.

A Carolina wren seems to be fine with the rain too:

If they can make it through February I'm thinking they'll be OK for this winter, even though spring comes very very late here on the coast.

Claire

They'll make it, Claire. I have faith. Ours stay each year and use a bird house I hung from a Japanese salix out back.

Big day today! Had to shoot quickly, 7 bluebirds all at once at the pool.

Nice to see the Carolina wrens seem to be on the way to recovery, population-wise. I have seen wrens here, but I think they were the typical house wrens. Any key markings you use to help distinguish? It looks like from Cornell that house wrens a bit smaller and less chunky and duller in color without the light eyebrow stripe.

I am right at the northern edge of their range with only spotty sightings in my area and north of me, while they seem much more common starting about 5 miles south of my house. Cornell says their range is moving northward, so I will need to keep an eye out for them.

Molie, did your hawk catch a mourning dove?

I don't think I've ever seen a house wren here, NHBabs. I've seen what I think was a winter wren and a possible marsh wren, but the overwhelming number of wrens were Carolinas.

For me it's the reddish-brown color and the bold eyebrow stripe as well as the distinctive songs. In the summer when I sit out on the deck the wrens will sometimes visit to hunt moths. At least I think they're hunting moths - they bop around looking under chairs and tables and I think I've seen them capture moths.

Great little bird.

Claire

Claire, now I am wondering if I actually saw a winter wren rather than a house wren. I will have to check to see if I caught a photo of it.

NHBabs: I only saw that winter wren (tentatively identified) once in September 2012 and that was after it had taken a bath in a bird bath, so the feathers were all wet.

Here are some of the photos. Maybe I should post on the Bird Watching Forum to see if someone knows it for sure.

Note the short tail, dark color overall, pale eyebrow stripe, and barred breast.

Cute little thing.

Claire

These are definitely Carolina Wrens with the best tushes.

Winter wrens - I believe you are correct, Claire. Check this out: http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek031101.html

Jane

Love the "end's up" views of your Carolina Wrens, Jane. They are absolutely adorable. We have had them, but not too often. We've heard them but haven't seen them too often because they are so well camouflaged and so small.

NHBabs, yes, we think it was a mourning dove that was caught. Doves are large targets and not too fast, plus they feed on the ground and so are easy targets. my dh commented that he hadn't seen hawks for while, and then .....

How cute and teeny-tiny can a Winter Wren be? Such enchantment is too much for this old heart, but thank you, Jane. And those Carolinas dipping on that yellow feeder -- I need another glass of Port and a fan. Too much cute for one evening.

Okay... so the Monk Parakeets now enjoy our suet feeders. These photos from just moments ago show them hanging on and feasting from a suet cage while others wait their turn on the tarmac.

We fear they will built a nest nearby. Again, my dh said, "It's time for the flaming arrows!"

Two days ago (Feb.15th), I was just walking back into the house when I heard it. That familiar, but different cardinal song. It is his SPRING prelude in C major. Sure enough, in the NY Times this morning, there is an article about it. Can a link be read without a subscription? Hope so. Cardinal in NYC

molie - have you seen this article about CT monks? (parakeets, that is) Monk Parakeet Nests

Ask DH if a flaming brandy instead of the arrows would do.

Jane

Jane, I could read your article. Cardinals aren't common here though we see more than we did 30 years ago.

No, Jane, I hadn't read that NPR article about one particular solution to the Monk Parakeet problem. Thanks! I'm not sure how much development has been done in making the telephone lines more difficult for the monks to land on. What I do know from my walks is that the birds do not just nest around transformers. I've seen many enormous nests in pine trees ... thus, "the flaming arrow solution."

When the weather warms, you'll have to come down and take a walk with me to see the nests down at the beach, or even just sit on our deck and wait for them to come to the feeders.

Almost giddy! It's 68° and the windows are opened a bit on the south side. It feels like a vacation! No wonder the birds' songs have changed.

Its 62° here and my windows are open, still lots of snow on the ground but its warm out and the dog is loving it

The snow has been steadily shrinking, but there's still a lot on the ground. This turkey vulture showed up today and held this pose for a while. I thought there might be another one around that he was trying to impress, but I never saw one.

Red-tailed hawk just watching

Bluebird taking a break after drinking water from the driveway

Susan

Beautiful pictures, Susan! I love the turkey vulture on display. Maybe it was trying to impress you? and I guess it worked.

Claire

I always figured that t.v.s with their wings spread like that were soaking up sun to warm up. I am amazed that you have them now. I usually expect them back in March. Lovely photos!

Claire and Babs, thanks. Babs, I was surprised to see the vulture show up this early too. Soaking up sun makes sense. A couple of years ago (not in winter) there was a male presenting with wide spread wings like that. There was a potential mate nearby and he carried on for quite a while. Quite a show in the field and following her up into the trees!

Susan, I think the TV is sunning also vs. trying to get a date. In the sun, they are an incredible shiny brunette. Good shots.

No flowers in the garden yet, but the Japanese salix is blooming - no picture. Rather, the sign of spring here seems to be nocturnal. And, the possum is back after the deep snow. I leave a dish of cat food for her in the garage next to the recycle bin and every morning, it is clean as a whistle. I figure if she takes the time to go through the recycle bin, she should be rewarded.

Nighttime friends looking very healthy:

His color is coming:

Video - too good not to share. Just listening to this calms the insides.

Cardinal Songs

Well, the chokeberry bush is about depleted, so I will see them again when the ornamental pear and Prairie Fire crab apple bear fruit. Glad I was home when they came. And, I've decided to build a more dense border on one side of the yard, so more red chokeberry shrubs will be going in this spring. Can't think of a better reason for planting more natives than providing more food for birds and critters.

Wonderful cedar waxwing pics, Jane! Such an elegant and dramatic looking bird.

Claire

This morning I posted (at least I thought I did) a new Hummingbird Spring Migration 2017 thread on the main New England Gardening forum, but it doesn't seem to have appeared on the site. I can find it if I go back to my History.

This is a test to see if it's really out there, just not displayed for some reason.

Claire

edit note: The link works so I'll wait a bit and see if the thread is revealed. I don't want to repost it and end up with two threads going.

That's weird. The post is there, but it isn't there. In the 5th dimension maybe.

Or hiding behind an alternative forum....'Come on out, little post. It's OK, nobody's going to hurt you....'

Claire

I added a response to it, hoping that might make it show up; no dice. FWIW, it shows up in the list of postings on your member page, just not on the New England listings. Maybe contact the powers that be at Houzz?

NHBabs posted on the Hummingbird Spring Migration 2017 thread, hoping it would nudge it onto the main forum, but it hasn't happened (yet).

Since the hummers are still very very far south I'm going to sit and wait for a while.

Since there are no other new threads on the New England Forum I'm assuming it's a technical glitch. I hope it's not some issue where someone thinks it doesn't belong on this forum. I would fight that.

Claire

Jane, will you purchase more red chokeberry shrubs locally, or mail-order them, please?

Claire, there were delays in many other GW forums yesterday, not just here, so it wasn't any issue with your particular post. Many folks didn't have your patience, and so reposted and eventually there were several double posts that I saw along with comments about delays.

Nothing to do with delayed posting, but more often than not, I've had Firefox shutdown when I was posting on houzz. Doesn't happen on other websites. So I'll use Chrome when posting and see if that helps.

PAT - I buy shrubs locally because I need to see the plant. There is a large nursery about 20 minutes away where shrubs, like chokeberry, comes in 3 gal. pots for $18-20 each. So I bring my old Volvo wagon and for about $100 the shrubs will be tucked in and around the existing dogwoods, Jap. maple and Korean Spice viburnum to thicken the border.

He's up. Spring is definitely early.

Sorry, Jane, but I really can't like a chipmunk; they do too much damage. Great photo, though.

Yesterday I saw a pair of turkey vultures which is a couple of weeks earlier than usual here in central NH.

hahaha, NHBaBs, you're not alone, really. They have created havoc here including stuffing the downspout with rocks which made the gutter overflow and I had to saw the drainpipe off. Uprooted veggies, ate my lettuce, chewed resin flower pots, run across my feet, on and on. They have been called many other names than "cutie". But it isn't my design and I do like trying to catch them in action with my camera. He raised particular cane from the moment he woke up.

But every once in awhile...what goes around, comes around.

Go, Ivy!

I wanted to remark on some of these wonderful photos before they sink into the obscurity of old threads. Susan, all your photos are awesome, but I especially love the picture of the house finches on the pieris. And NHBabs, I love seeing the animal tracks through the snowy trails at your place. Jane those photos of the robins and red berries are spectacular. Kudos to Ivy, the great hunter!

Ah, but is Ivy actually a hunter, or is she a herder who wants to keep the livestock under her control?

Claire

She's mostly a catch and release kind of gal which has created many stories. I've learned how to get a chipmunk out from behind the piano. Twice.

I've been hibernating but spring seems to be sneaking in. We might have 6 bluebirds and have seen one standing guard on each of two bluebird boxes so I hope they will nest although we've always had bluebirds so they nest in the wild someplace close by. Yesterday a cardinal appeared and will probably be the only time we see a cardinal this year. Our feeders never measure up. I've heard of people putting out shelled seeds and mealy worms but a local birder said I shouldn't put out mealy worms because birds are supposed to find their own worms. Two red-winged blackbirds have also arrived and are spending time at the feeders and pecking at the suet. We won't see them in the yard later on when they move to the marshy area and sing from the cattails. I've seen one rusty capped sparrow but we might have more. Mourning doves and, of course, jays are around. Also a hawk but we haven't seen it close enough to identify. The other bird behavior we saw for the first time but the local birder said was quite common was at least 4 birds going into a bluebird box during a snowstorm. We also think the sparrows will take shelter under our small front porch.

About two days ago the deer started coming out of the woods. There's not much snow in the fields anymore. Last night I only saw one but the afternoon before, my husband counted 8. Our neighbor farmer curses their fondness for his clover in the hayfield.

I, too, appreciate the photos and Claire's maintenance. It's so nice to see what's happening around New England. I'm just north of Concord and west of NHBabs.

I hate to end a thread when people are saying such nice things (thanks!) but I got some dramatic turkey videos this morning which will make a good opener for the next thread. As always, you're welcome to continue the discussion here, but new items should be posted on the new thread which should be up shortly.

Claire

To follow up on Jane's beautiful cedar waxwing photos, I wanted to add this link on cedar waxwings and the reason they appear to have the red tips on wing feathers.

Nice link, NHBabs. It's fascinating that waxwings actually have wax on their wings!

Claire