First Snow of the Season

It was cold around the freezing point.  First it was rain, then slush, and became snow for a while. The front lawn was covered with a bit of snow.

Oregon Juncos like the cold weather, especially snow.

"Everyone makes a fuss of the snow, but I like it."

"I live here all the time.  I don't mind the snow."

Christmas Visit

In western Oregon, we had a nice Christmas Day without a bit of rain.  Since the majority of people were taking the day off, it was quiet around the neighborhood.  Birds could sense the calmness of the day, which meant a safe day for them.  They came in a bunch and many birds showed up quite a few times during the day.

Anna's Hummingbird, male:  "How was your holiday?"

Downy Woodpecker:  "Pretty good.  I now come here for three meals a day!"

Red-breasted Nuthatch:  "Me, too."

Ruby-crowned Kinglet:  "Yum, yum, yum....delicious suet."

How to Jump in My Way

Winter birds like to eat the suet.  A Yellow-rumped Warbler is one of them.  Instead of hanging onto the feeder, it often likes to jump and nibble.

"Let me show you my beautiful jump!"

"Then nibble a bit of chow."

"Here is another approach in case only a wee little bit is left."

"You need to try it."

More Food Available

Too much rain has caused a lot of flooding around Oregon.  Many rivers have overflowed and people had to evacuate.  Along I-5 major interstate highway, a landslide occurred blocking one lane.

It's been cold, wet, and dark close to 12/21,  the winter solstice.  I see a Mountain Chickadee visiting here every day now that he can certainly find some food in my backyard.

"Today I found the suet!"

"Here I got a roasted sunflower seed.  This is yummy, too."

"I am swift to avoid a mean Junco who can jump on me."

A Winter Scene

Now that food is scare out in the field, a predator returned to town for food.  Everyday I look out my patio sliding door to see what birds are here.  There it was, a bold, familiar predator, Cooper's Hawk.

"Bad weather brought me here today.   A hungry day."

"Did I hear someone out there?"

He stayed on the feeder iron for sometime.  When the large rain drops started pounding on the ground all of sudden, he took off toward a neighbor's huge Sycamore tree to get a cover.

Who Is Chased?

Rainy days continue, but once in a while a sunny spot will appear with a rainbow on a lucky day.

Later I heard a crow making a commotion.  Sure enough I found a hawk being chased.

Who is it being chased?    It does not have a light-colored tail like Red-tailed Hawk.  It seems to be too big to be a Cooper's Hawk which frequents around here.  So I am not sure.  Besides the photos do not show much of the characteristics for identification.

Just remember if you hear a loud commotion in the air, you may find a hawk being chased by a group of crows.