Up To My Neck!

Yes, you can feel sorry for me...

While you're all showing off your wonderful spring buds and blooms,

I'm up to my neck,

well,

at least up to my knees

in snow!

And it's not old, on-the-way-out snow.

It's brand-new, white, fluffy snow, the kind that says winter is just beginning.

Yes, your spring photos have given me cabin fever.

In response to my last photo of the gigantic mystery holes in the tree trunks,

I can only think of one bird with a tool powerful enough to drill that deep...

That's right!  It's a Pileated Woodpecker.

As soon as I can dig my way out of the house I'll head over to the park to see what he's been up to since my last visit.

Chop! Chop! Chop!

That's if he's left any trees standing,

to see :)

Building A Mystery

In their own wooden way

I am happy to say

That trees house mysteries

As deep as their roots.

Bohemian Rhapsody

Open your eyes look up to the skies and see...

This beautiful Bohemian Waxwing!

Named "Bohemian" for their nomadic movements, these birds travel around from fruited tree to tree never staying long in any one area.

They seemed very happy to stay away from me and my camera,

burying themselves deep within the branches of the trees.

The few I managed to take pictures of were stragglers,

slow to follow the flock as they moved to a new location.

You Can't Hide Love

You feel it too,

Though you try to hide

This powerful feeling

Deep inside

 I know the truth

And so do you

Cardinal's love to play
Peek-a-boo :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

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 :)