Ready for Summer

At the wetland nearby,  many birds are already busy towards summer.

"I am a young Golden-crowned Sparrow.  

Pretty soon we will move into the woods."

"We are here since March for nest building."

"I am Common Yellowthroat.  We come back here every summer."

Many Things to Do in the Backyard

 American Robins often visit here in spring.

"I need to clean my feathers."

Lesser Goldfinches like to eat the seeds and drink water here.

"I get thirsty after eating."

My blueberry bushes have flowers now.

"I like to nibble the sweet flowers."

Frequent Backyard Visitors

 We see the blue sky more often these days.

"I like the blue sky."

"Look at me!  I am already dressed for summer."

"I am the prettiest of the visitors here."

(He/she posed for me; it is one of the clearest photos.)

Changes in Spring

 Viburnum are in bloom in my backyard.

Most of ducks are gone to the north.  These photos were taken a couple of weeks ago.

Gadwall:  'We are leaving for north anytime. 😁🤩"

Buffleheads:  "We are, too👀😊"

Tree Swallows:  "We are not leaving.  We just arrived a month ago to nest here.👍😍"

Camelia and Pear Blossoms

 My camelia is finally blooming in the backyard.

Pear Blossoms are in bloom, too.  Many birds like the nectar or the petals.

"I am a male House Finch.  We are visiting this neighborhood."

"Hi, I am a female House Finch.  I am visiting with an Oregon Junco."

"Hi, I am a Red-breasted Nuthatch.  I'd rather eat the suet here."

Summer Temperature in March

 Last several days, it has been warm like early summer.  Wild flowers began to bloom at the wetland.

Quite a few Golden-crowned Sparrows are around here during the cold months.

"I like to nibble the fresh spring buds."

"I am a Ruby-crowned Kinglet.  I returned from the backyard."

"We are Tundra Swans and staying here for a little 

while before going to Alaska."

Arrival of Summer Birds

 At the wetland nearby, Tree Swallows are already here.👍👀😁

"We like Oregon for summer."😊

In my backyard, a male Rufous Hummingbird just arrived (3/10) on the way to Alaska.🤩

"I am the first here!"😍

"Can you see my excitement?"👑👍🦜

The Rufous shows it by the orange head and throat.

Big Birds

 It's been raining all the time.  Before this long-lasting rain, we had a beautiful sunny day.

Double-crested Cormorant: "I am so happy to see the sun coming out!"👍🤩

"Yeah!"😍

"I am a Great Blue Heron."👑☀️🌞

Spring Scene

 Most of the waterfowl already left the nearby wetland for north.

Tundra Swans: "We are about to leave after a good rest here."😊🦢

Cackling Goose:  "We will take off soon, too."😊🪿

Redwing Blackbird:  "I am singing spring songs when you come here."😍🦜

Little Birds

 If you see a bunch of little birds floating around a feeder, they are Bushtits.  The first time when I saw them many years ago, I did not know what they were.  They looked  liked cotton balls floating in the air.

"We like to hang around together in the winter months; 

in the warm months, we will be with only a few."😁

Chestnut-backed Chickadee: "I come here during the cold months.  Sometimes 

I fly around with Bushtits for safety."👀👍

Ruby-crowned Kinglet: "I can fly with them to hide so that Juncos do not pick on me."😓🤩

Spring is Near

 So far it is getting warm.

"I like it.😊"

"I have not seen many ducks lately.   Are they leaving for north already?😯"

Buffleheads, male(left) and female(right):"We are still here.👀😊🦜"

On a Warm Day

 My old PC crashed during the ice storm.

Now I am using a new photo editor with another PC.   It can make a photo more clear, but the filing system is a bit hard to use.  Technology changed too much, so it takes time for me to get used to it.😰😟🦜

The other day I saw a crocus in bloom in my front yard.  This weekend is Chinese Spring Festival (Lunar New Year).   I already celebrated mine on Jan 1, though.  

On a warm day, even squirrels were enjoying sun bathing.

"I cannot move away from this warm spot."

A Spotted Towhee was taking a bath.

"I am going to get cleaned today."

A young Cooper's Hawk came here to see me.🤩

(Sometime ago, the old hawk was scared of me walking around in the backyard.  

He quit coming here.😢)

"I am new around here.  Are there any meal for me?👀"

(Cooper's Hawks are known to frequent bird feeders.)

Temperature Changes

My old computer crashed during the ice storm.  So I lost the photo editor and I am learning a new photo editor now.  It takes a while to get used to it.

"The ice is slippery.  I do not like it. ❄️☃️😨"

10 degrees F

"I am glad the ice is gone.  Just rain now.☔"

50 degrees F

"I see no snow from the top of this tall tree.😊😎👀"

 

Icy Days

Too much snow and ice came down here.  The ice and freezing rain kept us indoors for 4 days.

 

                        "It's super cold.  I could not come here when the ice was everywhere."😓

                                                          "I found some seeds here."😍

On top of this storm, my old computer went out together with my photo editor, etc.  These photos above were saved before this happening.  We bought a new PC yesterday, but it takes a while to get used to it.

Wish me luck!💦👍

Snow Storm

 For last 3 days, the icy storm hit our area.  The temperature on the patio was around 10 degrees F.

On the 2nd day of the storm, it warmed up only  to 20 degrees F during the day.  On the 3rd, we had another 10 degrees F in the morning and later became sunny with 20 degrees F.   It just stayed cold and below freezing all the time.

"This is the first storm this year😁."

😆

"We'd better nibble quickly before another chilly wind blast."

"I am back as usual.  I don't mind the snowy day.😎🤩"

Two Kinds of Northern Flickers

 Northern Flickers come here often during the cold months.

"I am hungry for the suet.  Did you notice my tail feather is yellow? 😁"

"I have the yellow tails and the red marking on the back of the head😎."

"I am the regular male Northern Flicker with the red tail feathers and the red cheek! 😊😋"