Cooling our heels...

...along with our butts, bodies, arms, and heads. Brrr, baby it's cold outside! Below freezing temps, -6.7 degrees f at one point, hit us last night and will be repeated tonight.Birds continue to come in to our feeder. The bodies of many of them, especially Chickadees and Juncoes, seem too small to maintain their life forces through cold periods but they thrive. We set up our feeder three summers ago and have been waiting and watching the birds come to it. Last year I saw a male Cardinal for the first time and this year he's been joined by a female. We hope they stay and raise many families.


Blue Jays are colorful and raucus but fly away when we're outside. Last year I spotted a bird colored similarly to a Jay but with an odd behavior. It would hold onto a tree trunk like a Woodpecker, also a frequent visitor, but with tail up and head down. We identified it as a White-breasted Nuthatch and hope it comes again this year too. Normally found in woodlands, they like the security of trees and I didn't think it would ever visit us. Friends frequently have them at their feeders and I am a bit, well more than a bit, envious of them.


We've planted many shrubs, trees, and perennials in groups in different areas, creating transition zones to encourage the birds. Birds feel uncomfortable flying across large open spaces and prefer having islands and blocks of plants to provide safety and refuge. At least that's my theory but I think that it's true. I'm hoping it will encourage them to nest and rear young. In the future I am planning more berry-producting trees and shrubs to bring in other types of birds and not just the seed eaters. I'm hoping to attract Cedar Waxwings, beautifully toned birds with jaunty black eye masks, but knowing they can be pesty too.