Saturday, February 1, 2025

A few inches of wet snow this morning that continues til noon. February is starting off more wintry than January, which began with rain. Henna and I explored the road, while Srini cleared the driveway with the snowblower. The snow brings much needed light beneath a gray sky.

By afternoon, blue sky reigned and after nightfall the crescent moon and Venus shown brightly together above the trees in the western sky. Saturn was visible below that pair. Looking to the east, Mars was clear along with Taurus and Orion to the south.

We haven’t a new species visit the yard in awhile. But the regulars visit daily, including five bluebirds. A few days ago, five female and three male cardinals visited the feeders just as it was getting dark, The males ignore each other, while the females often chase each other.

A red squirrel poked around the perennials below our front window. When It visits it leaves the area below the feeders to the gray squirrels.

Sunday, January 26, 2025

A landowner up the road a bit has several large hayfields separated by a tree line. Every winter for the past several years, he has placed carcasses at the field edge. We can see the piles from the Rockingham Rail Trail in Newfields and with binoculars we can get a look at any animals feeding on the carcasses.

We went for a walk with Henna late morning (after pickleball for me and walking dogs at the SPCA for Srini) on the trail. Today was a good day to carry the binoculars. We pass by the viewing area on the way out and on the way back. There was lots of activity at the piles as well as in the air: 7 turkey vultures, 1 adult eagle perched in a nearby pine tree, ravens and crows feeding and flying, and one red-tailed hawk.

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Starting the day with arctic cold at minus 6F at 6 AM. But this is better than -27F in Ely, Minnesota. We lived in Rochester, MN for 5 years and always noted that the coldest place in the lower 48 was northern MN/WI. Here is a weather map for today:

U.S. Weather Map from Wunderground.com

The feeders are drawing a much small crowd of birds this morning. A smattering of juncos and goldfinches and a few blue jays.

10:15 AM: Two puffed-up tree sparrows sit on the dying dogwood tree then fly down to peck at sunflower seeds, then up to the feeders since there are vacant perches today The black smudge on their chest and a rust cap and longish tail are distinctive.