Surviving the Vortex

It's been too cold to go out and do too much around the area so all of the photographs this week were shot in the yard.

Goldfinches vying for a position at the feeder.

On the defensive.

Mourning Dove sitting on a sassafras branch.

Dark-eyed Junco braving the winter snow.

The next five photographs show a female Pileated Woodpecker as she gets ready to make use of the suet feeder that we have hung out.

Chipping Sparrow sits on a branch checking out the feeder.

We have no idea where this black cat came from.  It showed up here a few months ago and kinda took up residence underneath our garden shed.  It hasn't been a bother until now so its fate is still in question.

Temple wind chimes.

Tree stump sticking up through the snow.

Looking out the window early one morning at one of our feeders in a blowing snow.

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

It seems that every year we get a visit from the Carolina Wrens  This is our second this season.  They come and spend a couple of days and then disappear.

A pair of Mourning Doves paid a visit to the grain feeder.

After our suet feeder was hit for the second time this year by the bears I was forced to go to a larger feeder and it seems to be more to the liking of the Pileated Woodpeckers.

I don't know why, even though we see the male Pileated Woodpecker near the feeders he never seems to come around as much as the female.  From this point on the tree it is a quick jump to the feeder.

It's taken several weeks but I finally got a decent photograph of the Pileated Woodpecker with its wings spread out just before landing on the suet feeder.  I've come to the conclusion that if I move the feeder another foot or two to the right, I could get a shot of the bird with its wings fully exposed.

African Violets blooming in a north facing window.

Close-up of one of my rubber duckies.

Furby -- 1998 McDonald's Happy Meal toy.