Snowy Day Birds

A couple of things before the comments start flying.

Number 1, I know this snowy day I'm sharing brought little more than a dusting. That apparently didn't bother the birds, so try not to let it bother you.

Number 2, I TRIED to get the girls to go outside and play in the snow, but Lily lasted about 14 seconds before she banged her ear on the slide and came running inside whining about being too cold.

So while there are no pictures to share of my kids playing in what will certainly be our only snowfall of the year, I managed to get plenty of shots of my backyard birds, who were (and still are) present in record numbers on this most inclement day.

There have been 4 or 5 Song Sparrows pecking around on the ground, gobbling up the millet that's supposed to keep the pigeons out of the sunflower seeds. Have I mentioned I need a BB gun?

Yesterday, apparently in anticipation of the snow, I was visited by two Field Sparrows. Just a moment ago, a Chipping Sparrow made a brief visit to one of the crepe myrtles to see what all of the commotion was about. He hasn't been back.

A few days ago I made my first ever batch of Zick Dough, a homemade bird treat I'd heard about often but never experienced first hand. Let me tell you . . if you've got Eastern Bluebirds you want to make happy, this is the ticket. Mealworms are great, but the price tag is high and the maintenance is tedious. Zick Dough, to the contrary, is cheap, quick, and low maintenance. Within an hour of putting the first offering out in my new side-dish feeder, 3 bluebirds had turned it into their own personal all-you-care-to-eat buffet. Just let me know when it's gettin' low guys!




My back yard is never short on finches. Recently though, they've been shying away from my thistle seed feeder and tending toward the sunflower seeds. Concerned that I'd been offering them an inferior meal, I sprung for a new bag from my local Wild Birds Unlimited, hoping to bring order back to my feeding stations. They weren't as quick as the bluebirds, but less than 24 hours after discarding the old thistle seed, it was business as usual at the ol' yellow feeder.


Not pictured here are my usual cadray of Mourning Doves, Rock Pigeons, and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Add to that a trio of snow-day Northern Cardinals, and my yard list for the day is up over 10, which is quite good for my little corner of suburbia!

This next picture is from a week or so ago, but I never shared it and I really wanted to. It's a shot I took of an immature White-crowned Sparrow. I couldn't get any of the adults to sit still for long enough to photograph, but this little guy was happy to hang out in the tree for a few seconds.


And then there's my favorite bird of the day. When I drive to work in the mornings and then home again at night, I often spot this Loggerhead Shrike along one of the otherwise boring stretches of road. This morning I put the camera in the car with the express purpose of capturing his image, and he did not disappoint. What a cool looking bird . .

God Speaks Many Languages

If you came in search of levity today, I recommend moving on to the next stop on your blogroll.

Today I sat in a dark, quiet place and contemplated God. I wondered if, having eschewed a relationship with God for so long, I would recognize his wisdom if it was ever presented to me.  Then, at the very moment that thought crossed my mind, I glanced out the window and saw the answer presented to me, as clear as if it were written in ink.  

  There, on the railing at this unfamiliar place, was God's message to me.  I know what you're thinking . . "Corey, that's just a Cooper's Hawk, not a message from God."  Not today it wasn't.   Today, I believe that hawk was sent to that spot at that moment for me.  He paused just long enough for me to snap two photos.  The first was washed out by the flash's reflection on the door.  The second one you see here.  Before I could raise the blinds, he was gone.  But the impact of his visit hit me like a runaway freight train.  

As I sat in that empty place, I contemplated all of the things that brought me happiness.  I love the life I have, and I find myself fighting to keep it at all costs.  I wondered if I could ever find happiness again under a different set of circumstances, and until today I've failed to visualize that possibility.  Then, as if in a deliberate attempt to get my attention, that Cooper's Hawk appeared outside my window.  The message, to me, was crystal clear.  Even here, sitting alone in my darkest moment, God chose to show me a small sign of happiness.  "You CAN find happiness elsewhere, even in the unlikeliest places.  Keep looking, and don't be so myopic."  

My Good Man . . we're clear.

A Good Day To Play

71 degrees and partly sunny. Just what you'd expect for January 5th, eh? Mason didn't seem to mind. He enjoyed a trip out onto the back porch to watch the big kids play.

He's getting awfully good at grabbing and pulling the little rings on his bouncy seat. It's a lot of fun to just sit and watch him play.

Lily finally figured out how to make the glider go by herself. No more begging Daddy to push her . . whoop!


There's something about seeing his little girl play in the mud that just makes a dad smile.

If you look closely enough, you can see Mason just smiling away behind those rings.

Steven looks like he was going to stab Avery in the leg with that trowel.

I wish I'd been paying more attention to this conversation. That look on Lily's face is worth a few thousand words, eh?


I had to include this one. Lily loves to hold her baby brother on the couch after he's had his bath. I think she likes the smell of his lotion! They happened to be wearing matching jammies tonight . . how cute!

Can't Argue With That

Tonight before dinner Avery asked me for some Kool-Aid.  

Me:  No, no Kool-Aid at dinner.  Lunch time only

Her:  Awww.  Can I have some milk?

Me:  Is there anything else you'd like to add to that?

Her:  No thank you.

Talk about your all-time backfires.  In my attempt to elicit some manners from her, I fell victim to the ultimate double entendre.  What I wanted was "Can I have some milk please?"  Oblivious to that implication, she came back with quite possibly the only response that I couldn't be upset with.  Perfect manners in response to the other meaning of the question I asked.  What can you do but laugh?

Christmas Eve Birds

Ok, so I lied about not posting much. Sue me. I felt compelled to share these shots of the only songbird currently in my back yard. Christmas Eve is no time to be alone, so where are his cohorts? My guess is that they're just a little more shy than he.

I give you the American Goldfinch, a beautiful splash of color on an otherwise bleak afternoon.


Thanks for posing sir, I needed that.

Procrastination

Talk about waiting until the last minute. Until today, Avery hadn't put pen to paper to create a true list for Santa. Clause, that is.

This morning, when directed to write the big man a note to be left with his plate of cookies, Ave saw fit to include in her greeting a quick synopsis of not only her wishes, but also of her behavior record for the year.

Dear Santa Clause,

We gave you these cookies for you and carrots for your raindeer. I have been a VERY very good girl this year. So has Lily. Here's a list of what I want for Christmas:

DS (Nintendo, that is)
Moter Scooter
some games for my DS (kinda looks like she wrote "ass")
A Magical Elf
Special Barbie Dolls
Some craft books
A video camera
Some stuffed animals

First of all, the kid just got a Wii for Christmas (a little early), you think she could back off the freakin' Nintendo DS. What is she, some sort of gamer? Pretty soon she's gonna have herself holed up in the basement playing World of Warcraft or something like that.

Second, what the hell is a magical elf? Like a real elf with magic powers that bakes cookies in a tree? I guess he could always have the top bunk . .

And my favorite, a video camera. I wonder if she was expecting BOTH this and the DS? Between the two of them she could drop out of school, start making documentaries on the perils of riding your Razor Scooter over loose gravel, and become a Tetris expert. Well, at least we'll save some money on college, right?

The close of the letter is just as priceless.

Its ok if you don't get what I want, you can surprize me! Please wright back (complete with a small box in which he should reply).

Talk about your all time backfires, this is what I get for perpetuating the whole Tooth Fairy shenanigans, eh? I look at it this way, at least she was polite, and I get to test out my left-handed writing skillz for the big man's reply.

You will likely not hear from me again for a few days, so please be safe and enjoy your time with family and friends this Christmas.

A (potentially) Protracted Absence

I can't promise that I'll be around much to post for a while, it's just such a busy time right now. I hope you and everyone you love has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.