Uh Oh...

I knew it the second I saw him;

his stillness,

the way his feathers drooped over the feeder...

Something was wrong.

He didn't startle at my presence,

at the scraping sound of the shovel,

or the snow being tossed into the air.

Not normal behaviour for this Common Redpoll.

This is what I was shovelling my way to,

the spot where my husband and I sit to watch

 the birds flit between the feeders and a nearby fir tree.

Rather than continuing to make any more noise,

nervous of scaring him away

when, perhaps he wasn't well,

I decided to leave this little guy in peace.

The shovelling can wait.

Just Like Us

Of all the animals we share our winter with,

squirrels seem to be the most similar to us.

They hibernate when it gets really cold,

venturing out every once in a while in search of something to eat.

This lucky guy has found some peanuts someone has put out for him.

Notice how he keeps an eye on me.

Ready to spring into action

If I start looking a little too hungry.

Taking his treasure with him to eat at a safer distance,

He makes sure to hide it from me completely.

After filling its stomach it climbs up a tree to catch the last rays of the sun

Where it slowly begins 

To fall

Asleep.

Just like us.

Strength & Beauty

Ever notice how some people never lose their spirit.

No matter how harsh the conditions,

how heavy the load,

With grace, they carry whatever comes their way.

Seeing how they conduct themselves,

how they maintain their integrity,

their purpose,

their beauty,

Is pure inspiration.

Hello Stranger

After my last post of doom, gloom and (freezing to) death you'll be happy to know that all the ducks are fine.

They are not just fine they are splashing and quacking and fighting with each other, doing everything ducks are supposed to do.

Except of course: be here when the temperatures are still way too cold for them.  This is the forecast for the next few days.

As you can see they are acting as if it is the middle of summer!

I don't know how my husband spotted this.

Out of about 150 Mallard ducks he finds one that is different from all the others.

It took me a while to find its name.  It is a Northern Pintail. 

According to this map he isn't even supposed to be in Canada right now.

(The dark blue area is where they winter.)

I guess that's the last time he takes directions from the Mallards :)

I have to say I'm happy he stopped by.  Isn't he handsome?

And yes, he likes to splash around just like everyone else :)

Just Don't Do It!

I've posted about this strange situation before.

This is a man-made mini lake.  This hole in the ice exists because there is an underwater current maintained by the administrators of this park to keep the water from stagnating.

These ducks SHOULD have migrated.

It is not natural nor healthy for them to be here.

And here is the source of the problem.

These ducks only stay here because they are being fed.

Even though signs around the park

ask/tell/explain to people why they should

NOT

feed the ducks,

they continue to feed them.

Bags of food.

Yesterday I heard a woman explaining to some passersby that "these poor ducks would die if it weren't for her daily feedings."

The number of ducks have increased from about 25 in the fall to almost 150 now.

Every time they hear footsteps coming, they jump from the ice and dive into the water, rushing to be fed.

What a shame.

Just One

No Murmuration here.

No starling swarm,

Sweeping across the sky like a ribbon wrapping around on itself.

Just one starling,

Fluffing its star-studded feathers to keep out the cold.

Happy to have the feeder to itself.

Wondering, perhaps, if it has come here too early,

When Spring is nowhere in sight.

I've added a link to a video of a real Murmuration of Starlings

(a flock flying together.)

What I like most about this video, aside from the spectacular sight of the cloud of birds in flight is the expression of wonder on the girl's face at the end of the video.  I know I'd feel exactly the same way she does.
I'm not a huge fan of the addition of music tracks over the sounds of nature, but, then again, it's not my video and you can always mute it out :)

Let Them Eat... Snow!

What's a bird to eat in the middle of winter but snow.

At least, that's what it must look like to our backyard birds.

This Common Redpoll is chatting up the bronze rooster atop the feeder,

asking him how to get at the seeds,

(probably wondering why he's not getting any answers.)

Hmmm, no luck with this feeder either.

Oh well, might as well eat...   Snow!

That's what the other birds are eating.

The Dark-eyed Junko (bottom right) has a beak full :)

Finally, a feeder with a little more nuts than snow :)

Waiting for Spring

Looking through the window on a cold winter day.

Waiting for a sun-kiss to warm my cheek.

Simplicity

Life is about finding balance.

Keeping a cool head when times are rough.

Extending a hand to those in need.

Having a full heart.

And keeping a light on to find the way.

Brrrrrr!

"We are like the branches that quiver during a storm,

doubting our strength

and forgetting we are the tree -

deeply rooted to withstand all of life's upheavals."

~ Dodinsky ~

Brrrrrr!
This is the temperature outside my front door this morning.
I love the sharpness of the air,
the crunch of each step,
the way the cold lays its hands on my face.

Each breath in,
I am aware of the cold
and my body's rush to heat it.
Each breath out
is decorated in a cloud of steam.

Not a moment is taken for granted.