I must confess...

...that it has been easier to keep in touch with friends and family through :::Facebook::: which has taken the place of blogging for a short while. I have been pondering off and on this past week about something interesting to post on the blog. I find it takes longer these days (for some reason) to purpose out a good post, unless I "get a bee in my bonnet" over something. Well as it is, things have been going along with our family in such a way as to not have much time for overmuch serious, educated or thoughtful posting, though I have been doing a lot of thinking while cooking for the family, reading, grading and prepping Spanish lessons. After all, I still have the Charlotte Mason bookclub once a month to prep for, Spanish I and Spanish II classes and grading, and I picked up a new student to tutor weekly just this month.


I have exciting updates on several of my hobbies:

~ Birds visiting our yard this winter and perhaps tomorrow I can share about and
~ Reading discoveries made this week regarding my most recent favorite author, Elizabeth Gaskell.


So without further ado... a post on our latest visitors to the feeders and bushes. These were all taken today (1/24)

flock of red-wing blackbirds that have found there way here this past week. They some times hang with the grackles, starlings, and cowbirds, who stop by the feeders daily, as well, though we do our best to scare the grackles away every time we see them. All it takes is to push back the vertical blinds/curtains and they fly off.


This red-bellied woodpecker has been here since the summer. I've seen a second one from time to time, as well.

They all share quite well, believe it or not.







Mr. Chickadee. He and his spouse come to the feeders daily. They are so tiny, lithe, and quick! Even moreso when it is cold!


purple finch. This guy used to come in the summer quite regularly

mystery grey birds (Still need to find them in my books-they have more marks than the dark-eyed junco, and seem a little larger, as well. Their beaks are almost blue)

mourning dove (six or eight make their appearance daily)

part of our white-winged dove covey. We see upwards to 25 or so on a regular basis, even in past years before we began feeding them.




This cardinal is a little bit ruffed up!

Miss cold cardinal





little miss cardinal


poofy miss
Bluejay imploring me for more seeds


house finch and purple finch and spouse


Four swashbuckling cardinals

Dark eyed Junco is new to our feeder. He showed up about a week ago.

Cardinal feeding time at sunset. Tonight, there were at least 13 cardinal couples taking their turns in some unspoken birdie queue, moving from one tree to other trees closer to the feeders, then to the branches nearest the feeders, then hopping on down to one of four feeders, then finally, down to the deck, where leftovers fall throughout the day, from the messier birds.

This time of day has become a magical, birdie wonderland, and I am content.


Javamom