Gardening and Gardens

It's still really cold here and another storm is on it's way. I haven't seen too many birds this winter - it might be that it's just too cold. However, there are some that have been braving the cold. The male and female cardinal come to visit nearly every day. Sometimes they eat, other times, they just sit perched on the bird feeder. I can hear their distinct chirps before I see them. This little fellow is so cute. He hangs out on the tree nearly upside down until he figures it's safe enough to fly over to the bird feeder. I think it's a Nuthatch? The red-bellied Woodpecker is also a frequent visitor, scaring away any other birds who might be feeding.  Mrs. Cardinal takes her spot on the feeder. And of course, the squirrel watches the feeders from above, waiting for one of them to mysteriously fall from the tree and dump the seed all over the lawn...which will never happen!

We got quite a wallop of snow on Sunday! At first, the forcasters were saying only eastern Long Island would get a few inches of snow. But as Christmas Day drew to an end, the news was reporting that all of New York City and Long Island should expect for a blizzard with lots of snow and wind. So all day Sunday, we listened to the howling winds blowing 40+mph and watched the beautiful snow fall, and fall, and fall until we got nearly 2 feet of snow. The storm even blew snow onto the wreath on my front door (and it's covered by a porch!):   But the birds were not deterred. They held onto the feeders through the snow and wind, trying to get something to eat. I was just happy that I remembered to fill them the day before the storm. And even though the weather outside was frightful, it sure was beautiful to watch the snow coming down. And my kids enjoyed a day in their pjs to play with their new toys!

Yesterday afternoon, I arrived home to find a Mourning Dove nestled in the grass in front of my flower boxes.  When I moved closer to see if it was injured (it was not), it just looked at me but didn't move one bit. I quickly grabbed my camera, and took some photos. All the while, it never moved.  As I expected, it was gone the next morning. I still don't know if it had been hurt in anyway or was simply taking a rest on the shady grass. Either way, it was a delight to see up close! For more on Mourning Doves, check out Cornell Lab of Ornithology