Sweet sweet spring

We had a gorgeous weekend here and sometimes images

 are just better than words.

It was perfect to enjoy all the sweet fragrances and bird songs

that spring has to offer. 

Isn't Spring awesome?!

Bring it on

There are signs that Spring is attempting to make an appearance.  But don't be fooled by the image above.  There are no blooms or blossoms in my neck of the woods ... yet.  I was looking at photos from a year ago, same time, and we were in full bloom.  I guestimate that we must be about 2 weeks behind last year's blooms.  Come on SPRING!

But then, Mother Nature moves at her own speed.   Time keeps marching forward.  

~ ~ ~ ~

There's nothing like nature to remind me of the frailty and beauty of the world, even in my own back yard.  Prior to my Big camera, I took little heed to all the activity right under my nose.  It's like a regular soap opera out there!!

Take Mrs. Cardinal, for example, who lost her tail last month due to fright molt, probably barely escaping with her life from some predator.  But it has grown back as if nothing ever happened.

Or the loss of Mrs. Red-bellied Woodpecker's mate who was attacked by a hawk right outside my office window.  She still comes to feed and someday, I hope she'll bring another mate along.

And then there are the little chipmunks.  Last summer, there must have been a half a dozen of them running around but so far this spring, I've only seen one.  Several days ago, for two days straight, she was chirping all day long.  Upon googling why she was doing that, I discovered that she was calling for a mate.

Perhaps that was due to us finding a dead chipmunk in our basement two weeks ago!  How and why he was in our basement is beyond me and why he laid dead in the middle of the floor is a mystery.  Poor little fella!

But she continues on ... if not a bit cautiously.  

And she should.  

The hawk swoops by daily.

I'm also wondering if she found a mate.  Her chirping has stopped!

~ smile ~

The squirrels have been extremely active.  

But what's new?? 

This little girl has been hard at work building a nest.

Beginning of another new cycle of life.

Spring washes over THEM and US 

with the desire and need to march forward.

To begin anew.

Whether it be a new tail, a new mate, a new love, a new start,

Mother Nature pushes us onward.

As it should be.

Even when we are so exhausted from the thrill of it all.

 So  ...

I'm ready and waiting Spring.  

Bring it on!

Que sera, sera

55 degree weather today!  

Woot woot!

How I wish it was here to stay but, alas, 

I see we are expecting some snow this weekend.  

Que sera, sera ...

It doesn't seem to impact my visitors much though. 

The old regulars are always around.

The Cardinals, Finches, Nuthatches, Blue Jays, Titmice, Woodpeckers ...

 all enjoy their feasts at the feeders.

And let us not forget those who will

always continue to try to reach

the feeders ....

with no luck!

Although I have had to move the feeder poles a

few times after one of the squirrels 

took up flying to reach it from a tree!

Clever little girl!

I haven't seen my little wren for a while now.  

Hope she returns.

Remarkably, this Starling stopped by 

very briefly one afternoon but

I haven't seen him since.

Which is okay by me.  So aggressive!

Others I haven't seen for a few months

are the little chipmunks.

Through the summer and fall the family

had grown a bit,

so I find it odd not seeing them as I did previous years

when the weather warmed up like today.

Somebody that I sorely miss

is my male Red-bellied Woodpecker.

Here's a shot of him below from last winter.

He was so pretty.

You may recall the hawk attack on him that I broke up.  

But not soon enough.

His mate comes every morning and feeds.

Reminding me how fragile life is.

And how brief it can be.

I miss that feathered friend.

Que sera, sera.

~ ~ ~

Somedays it's just too cold to eat

It was wicked cold today!

Even the little White-throated Sparrow above

is all fluffed up to stay warm.

There must have been several dozen 

titmice, juncos, finches, doves and chickadees 

yesterday at the feeders.  

But not so much today.

They probably knew it was going to be too cold

to leave their warm spots.

This image of the male Red-bellied Woodpecker above is from last year this time.

He was a frequent feeder and I rarely, if ever, 

saw his mate, below.

But this winter, the only red-bellied Woodpecker coming around are two females.  

I never see the male any longer.

It could be due to this guy below.

Remember a couple of months ago when I chased down the hawk in my backyard 

who had the woodpecker in his clutches?!!

The hawk finally let the woodpecker go and both flew off.  

I thought the male had survived!  

I was so happy.

But I guess the male must have had too many injuries.  

And now, only the females feed from my backyard.  

I hope they stay alert.

This 'cycle of life' thing really sucks sometimes!

~ ~ ~

Best to always be alert

I'm always surprised when I see the Red-bellied Woodpecker eat from my patio wall.  They typically like one of the feeders when I have a mix of seed and nuts.

This little girl enjoys the corn I put out if she happens to get there before the squirrels discover it.

She flies in and picks up a kernel and flies off to some nearby tree only to repeat this process a dozen or so times.  Or until the squirrels arrive.  Which usually is quite soon.

I worry a bit about her doing this.  If you recall, I rescued one of the woodpeckers a week or so ago from my visitor hawks.  I'm not sure if it was her or her partner.  I haven't seen the male lately.

But this boy has been making regular visits.  It was a Cooper's Hawk that attacked the woodpecker and who has been my main visitor but this guy has been coming frequently as well.  I think he is a Broad-winged hawk.  You agree?

Definitely looks different than the Cooper's Hawk that has been hanging around.  He comes and sits in the tree surveying my back yard.

Sometimes he drops down into the yard and pulls out a HUGE worm.  How does he know they are there??  If it's by eyesight, it's pretty darn remarkable!

The chickadees don't seem to be frightened of him.  They continue to feed.  The squirrels take shelter as do some of the larger birds, who keep their distance.

Until he flies off ... and the feeding continues at the feeders.

This little dove would be wise not to be sleeping when he comes around again.  I've lost a few doves to the hawks.  Although lately, it seems the hawks haven't kept their population down.  I counted 12 one afternoon feeding beneath my feeders!  An even dozen!

Oy!

By the way, thanks for all your feedback about Picasa.  

I ended up upgrading to add space.

Those of you that got grandfathered in at $5/yr ... lucky you!

Have a great week, my friends!