Dark-eyed Juncos come south for the winter but even today’s -25C (-38C windchill) barely seems to ruffle their feathers. Very tough little birds.
This bird visited a couple of years ago but on a day very like this has been with continuous snow and falling temperatures. Hardy little souls they seem to manage very well in this weather.
When it’s -10C and there’s a huge 24 hour snowstorm due to arrive in a couple of hours what’s a tiny Chickadee to do, but stand on a nice warm stone in a nice warm water bath with nice warm steam rising, ruffle your feathers and make the most of the free sauna.
The garden was visited briefly this morning by the neighbourhood Cooper’s hawk, undoubtedly on the lookout for a meal at our feeders. He stayed just long enough to get a couple of photographs and then departed, still hungry.
I took this photograph a year ago this day and had forgotten about it. I know Starlings are unpopular in some quarters as alien interlopers not native to this continent but they are incontrovertibly very handsome, especially at this time of the year when they have a brand new suit of feathery clothes to wear. I like the way he is looking at the camera … “Who do you think you’re looking at, mate?”
I was amused by this Cardinal, looking longingly at the seed(s) that the squirrel was eating … a bit of fraternal competition there.
I have been lurking near these flowers for several days while Hummers come and go before I can grab the camera. Perseverance works – finally nailed it today as this fellow stayed long enough for his portrait to be taken and allowed retime to fiddle with the camera settings too. Feeling quite proud of this one if I do say so myself ;)
The flowers are Mexican Cigar Plants (Kuphea sp.) and seem to be even more of a Hummingbird magnet than even Monarda.
Blue Jays are far from being the rarest birds around but they always stand out from the crowd.
I was particularly pleased with the feather detail and the glint in the bird’s eye in this photograph which was taken from the opposite side of the garden, so some considerable distance.
May at Blossom Corner is always a profitable place to be if you want to watch birds
The female appeared beside him shortly after this – altogether a less flamboyant bird
