I am sure Chelle got it worse than me; supposedly much more snow further north. It was so heavy at one point my little Ford tractor stalled out. Just shoveling was a real work-out! I think we've missed about 15 days of school since January & the kids are making up 30 minutes each day. Now we've missed today which only adds to the mess. I am so sick of snow & winter!

This picture was on Feb. 5, and that's about what it looked like this morning. Hoping for better days & SPRING!- SOON!

-1 this morning when I got up (spring's just a week away??? ), but the road is plowed out and the birds are fed.

My bird pictures were lousy today (too shivery!), but here's some day-after scenery.



I'm wondering just how thick the ice on the lake is...probably more than a hand auger could handle.

Oh Chelle! It looks so pretty but enough with the snow comming. It sure hope that will be the last of it for the season. Time for some green gardens.

Chelle's first picture of the conifers looks like a Christmas card waiting for an envelope. Beautiful! I cannot remember a snowier or colder winter! And I too am glad to see it go! I have tons of outdoor work ahead of me just in the perennials alone. Then this morning I noticed some broken tree limbs from the heavy ice. This will add to the workload. It will be very busy outdoors this spring once this snow and ice are gone.

The good news (if any) from here today is that there is sunshine for awhile, no snow & 'warmer' temperatures are headed our way. Then we had our first Red Wing Blackbirds this morning. They acted like they were starving, and I'm sure the storm didn't help them. Here they are this morning: The 4th picture shows a female at upper left.


The next ones are a female Red-Wing Blackbird eating with sparrows. This makes a good size-comparison photo, but still a little fuzzy. The others below are of the snow storm yesterday showing a Junco in various resting places.

Well, gee whiz, chelle, enough is enough!

Nice shots, Leon. I love my Red-wing Blackbirds.

With the calendar showing just five more days of winter this will be my final post in Winter Weather & Birds. I am so glad to see the snow melting and the temperatures moderating. Soon the subject matter will be nesting, eggs and hatchlings. When (and if) I get some decent pictures I'll add them to another thread, or begin a new one for the spring season. I am totally an outdoor person in warm months, so I know I'll be working away from the comfort of the easy chair and computer screens.

This morning brought sunny skies and more melting snow. It also brought out the House Finches and Gold Finches at the feeders. Sunlight always helps with bird pictures by removing strong shadows and showing more details. Here are some of this morning's pictures mostly of House Finches. Link: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/g...



A mixed company of Gold & House Finches and one on the roof:

Fabulous pictures of those House Finches.

Newyorkrita said:Fabulous pictures of those House Finches.

Thanks Rita,
I'm already in love with that puppy!

TBGDN said:
Thanks Rita,
I'm already in love with that puppy!

She is a sweetie and a joy in my life.

When I signed off Saturday I didn't think there would be another bird worth posting. But then there were others that show signs of spring and that Bald Eagles are very much making a return to this region. For one reason they have been under strict protective laws from the Endangered Species Act; and for another our surrounding counties are blessed with several river systems and natural bodies of water. There are three very marginal pictures from Saturday afternoon taken with a cell phone in my moving car. I hesitate posting: However, I err on the side of saving these magnificent birds & to document they are here. Here are the pictures and a link: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/g...



The other large bird I want to document is the Sandhill Crane which also made an appearance here late Saturday afternoon. Again, the pictures are 'rough' because they were from a distance of between 2,000 feet and a half mile from my window. I had to zoom at maximum distance even to ID them. (The farm house in the background is at least one mile away!) These were obviously in transit since they nest at distances far beyond the Canadian border well into Arctic regions and Alaska. Here is what I came up with & the link: (March 15, 2014) http://www.allaboutbirds.org/g...



The 4th picture shows two deer in the edge of the woods which we had not seen until maximum zoom. (There will be a new camera in my future somewhere!)

Just had to go order more suet cakes as I am nearly out. Bad winter for the birds and they really needed the suet.

I'll start weaning my birds away from feeder food soon...just a bit less at each feeding until the bugs are out in full force. Raccoons and opossums will soon be out and about and tearing up everything we have if there's any seed left at all at nightfall.

The birds seem to eat up all the seed I put out each morning before nightfall gets here.

Yep, mine do, too, but then I usually give them more in the afternoon. After the worst of winter is past, I have to stop doing that.