Wednesday, January 1, 2025
Woke up at 3:30 to the sound of heavy rain. At 5 AM, 39F. The winter bird bath is full of water (no ice). What month is this?
Winter bird bath.
By 7:30 AM the rain has eased up and birds have arrived. Joining the regulars–a dozen juncos; 2 dozen goldfinches, some of which have specks of bright yellow and white; a few chickadees, titmice, and house finches; a downy woodpecker, a blue jay, and a male purple finch; two male cardinals–are three robins, two bluebirds, and a Carolina wren. 12 species before 8 AM. And a gray squirrel.
9:30 AM: Ten robins fly into the crabapple. A lone song sparrow forages beneath the feeders. Two starlings check the feeders then fly off. The robins stay only briefly. Two gray squirrels of different sizes busily shell and eat sunflower seeds. The larger one has a very large, luxuriant tail that it holds over its back, like an umbrella to shed the rain. It has white fur behind its ears. The smaller squirrel has little white on ears and a much less robust tail. Male and female gray squirrels do not differ in size and color so I assume the small one was born in the summer of 2024 and has not yet reached its full adult size.
10:30 AM: Still raining. A female red-bellied woodpecker on the suet feeder.
Midday: The rain has stopped, but sky remains gray. A lone mourning dove casually struts around pecking at sunflower seeds. A female hairy woodpecker on the suet feeder. 17 species of birds so far today.
3:15 PM: Light rain in our yard, while the sun and patches of blue sky emerge in the west. A few minutes ago, about a dozen male and female house finches at the feeders. Four chickadees, each taking a turn to snatch a sunflower seed at the feeder and bringing it back to the crabapple where they can safely peck at the shell to reach the seed.
The sun disappears behind clouds just as quick as it emerged. It is 40F at 4 PM and the rain will resume tonight, according to the forecast. Darkness arrives early; there is no twilight. Two male cardinals close out the feeders at 4:30 PM.
Final Bird Tally for Today:
1. Blue jay — 2
2. Downy woodpecker — 3
3. Hairy woodpecker — 1
4. Red-bellied woodpecker — 1
5. Carolina wren — 1
6. Black-capped chickadee — 4
7. Tufted titmouse — 3
8. Mourning dove — 1
9. American robin — 10
10. Eastern bluebird — 2
11. Dark-eyed junco — 12
12. Song sparrow — 1
13. House finch — 12
14. Purple finch — 4
15. American goldfinch — 24
16. Northern cardinal — 4
17. European starling — 2
