Lunar New Year Is Coming.

Lunar New Year falls on February 10 this year.  In China, people call it "Spring Festival (春节)."    People in China, Korea, and Vietnam celebrate this day.

The zodiac animal for this year will be the snake, the 6th animal in the total of 12 animal cycle.  Derek Walters, the author of the secrets of Chinese astrology, says, "...the Snake is said to be the guardian of buried treasure... Facts and figures fall naturally into the Snake's understanding, and they make excellent researchers."  Wow, do you know someone who were born in the snake year (1905, 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013)?

 Folk Art Papercutting from China: Snake

The other day when I was walking around the compost bin in the backyard, I found an early sign of spring.  The honeysuckle bush already has many new leaves!! Even in this biting cold air, the plants are steadily getting ready for spring.

A Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon Warbler) stopped by.

"I like your suets.  Three suets to check on here: one under the apple tree, one at the wisteria, and the last one under the patio.  I can't decide which flavor I like best, but thanks a million for stocking up."

Snow Geese

Early in the morning the sky in Oregon can be pretty.  I hope we are done with the chilly, below freezing temperatures for a while. 

 

A few days ago when it was foggy,  I heard a loud honking up in the sky.  As I looked up, expecting to find Canada Geese,  I saw a band of graceful Snow Geese flying towards the east.

As a Field Guide to the Birds of Western America says, they are very vocal in flight, a lot louder than Canada Geese.  They are  abundant in western states in winter, while in summer they move up to the north such as Canada and the Arctic.


Here is a backyard friend who also appreciates the warming weather.

"Finally, I don't have to put up with the ice.  The fresh rain water is tasty."

Who is the Earliest Riser?

Even in the thick fog, even in the below freezing temperature, someone always comes to my feeders earliest in the winter morning.

Can you guess who does?  If you like, try to choose from the following bird friends.


1)  Golden-crowned Sparrow

"I come early on a frosted morning.  I must be the earliest...."

2)  Western Scrub Jay

"I have to come earliest, before squirrels get all the peanuts

that the backyard owner scatters on the patio every morning."

3)  Oregon Junco

"No matter how cold it gets, we love the cold

weather.  We come in the earliest."

 

4)  Anna's Hummingbird

 

"No, no. no....  I come in the earliest.  I have already finished

my breakfast and now's the time to do sunbathing today."

ANSWER:  For 8 - 9 times out of 10, Oregon Junco is the earliest; the next comes Anna's in my backyard

Accident 101: Chestnut-backed Chickadee's case

Today's weather forecast kept warning about the possible freezing rain.  So I stayed home and watched birds.

Have you seen this cute little Chestnut-backed Chickadee? 

 

Different from Black-capped Chickadee, this one is smaller and has the chestnut colored back.  Their call is a rapid tseek-a-dee-dee, which is faster than the Black-capped one.  In winter they often fly in together with a flock of Bushtits. 

As I was bird watching today, one came to my patio, hanging to the hummer's feeder, etc.  And then there was an accident of hitting the patio glass door and plunging down to the cold cement floor.  Since I saw it, I was out immediately for a rescue.  I lifted the bird from the freezingly cold cement with a piece of newspaper so as my hand oil would not touch it.  I kept it in my emergency cage for it to recover if possible.  Luckily in a few minutes it started flying inside the cage, ready to go home.
A happy ending.

"Thank you for taking care of me.  I'll be careful now."

Majestic Birds

Whenever the blue sky returns, I look up standing still in my backyard for a while.  Soon, I begin to see birds crisscross in front of me and sometimes a majestic bird soaring up above.  Today was such a day.


Do you know a big bird with the white head and tail?  It's the Bald Eagle shown on American coins and paper money.  There are a couple of their nests in the nearby wildlife reserve, so on a nice day they show up above my backyard.

"Hello, there.  I couldn't soar up much today due to the cold temperature.  

So much for soaring.  Ready for home now."

Then, soon after, I heard a lot of commotion in my neighborhood.  There came a band of American Crows.  There were a dozen of them, cawing, cahing all over here and there.  But unfortunately I could not spot any hawk this time.

Crow #1:  "I'm gonna hop around here."

Crow #2:  "Skipping here."

Crow#3:  "Now ready to fly away."

"Bye for now."

A Sunny, Blue Sky

In the morning the thick fog blanket cleared and the beautiful blue sky returned for the day.

The temperature was still cold.  The ice was still left on the tip of the maple tree branches.

We, warm blooded creatures, were delighted with the sunshine.

European Starling:  "Ummm, such a nice day.  I look pretty in the sun.  Do you notice my shiny feathers?"

House Finch, male:  "I'm suntanning on the branch.  DO NOT disturb me."

Anna's Hummingbird, female:  "You can disturb me.  I love your attention."

Yummy Suet for Winter

Last few days the fog blanketed all over the city and kept us cold all day long.  But even in the deep winter, I  could sense a soft, quiet breath of a Camellia bush in the backyard.

Already a bud is forming.

Out there, I heard, "chi...chi...chi..." with an intermittent silence.  Then I know who has arrived.

"It's me, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle Warbler).  These chunks of suet are scrumptious.  I need to swallow before the hungry Starlings raid here."

Two Kinds of Townsend's Warblers

Today the temperature is not so cold as earlier this week.  The ice on the bird bath began to thaw.

After all those frosts, the weeds and small branches leftover from the summer are all gone.    So my suet can provide a lot of nutrients to bird friends during the real winter months.  Lately Townsend's Warblers come daily for the suet.  I just discovered there are two kinds of the warblers visiting my backyard: one with the black throat and the other without.

What color do you see under his chin?

"Yum, yum, yum.  I have to eat fast before others come and get the suet....  

Well, I've got the black throat all over.  Do you see that?"

Here is another for your inspection:

"Do I have the same black throat?"

"Here's my front look.  I DO NOT have the black front at all.  

I can be a female or immature male.  Ta, ta.... That's my s-e-c-r-e-t!"

A Cold, Frosty Day

Today a cold and frosty day arrived and, according to the weather forecast, will continue on for a week.

Here is the art work of Frosty the Snowman.

Another work was found on Charlotte's web, too.

Birds are made lot tougher than humans.  Out in the backyard, little birdies were out as usual.

"I am armored with down feathers to keep me warm."

On a frosty wisteria vine, Ms. Purple Finch bumped into Mr. Townsend's Warbler.

Townsend's Warbler(right):  "Nice to see you again.  I saw you last winter, didn't I?"
Purple Finch(left):  "Yeah.  I do remember your prominent yellowish mask."


Then a bunch of cotton ball like little birds start swishing into my blueberry bush.

"Hi, I am a Bushtit.  In a big flock, we travel from one place to another in search of the suet.  Oftentimes other friends mingle and fly with us."

Anna's Hummingbird's Confidence

On a sunny day, an Anna's hummer likes to dry off her metallic green feathers.

See this dazzling color.

On her favorite clothesline perch,

"I need to shake off all the bugs as best as I can."

She can spread off all the tail feathers,  maybe trying to scare me. 

"This is a Yoga pose in the hummer style.  Can you see all my tail feathers?"  

Now I can tell whether she is matured or not.  Judging from the white markings on the tips of the tail feathers, she is a matured one.  She has full of confidence in me so it does not fly away even when I get too close for my zoom lens to work.

Additional Resolutions: Plenty of Fruits and Veggie

Additional Resolution #1:  Eat plenty of fruits.

Early this morning, I saw a male American Robin underneath the old apple tree eating an old fallen apple.  He liked the apple so well that he returned for the second servings.

"Even a half rotten apple tastes refreshing in the middle of winter when there are not many choices."

"An over-ripen apple is easy to swallow.  Still tastes good, too."

Additional Resolution #2: Add green veggie to your diet.

After the robin took off, there are a dozen of Oregon Juncos still busy eating seeds from feeders.  But this Junco wanted to try something different:  moss.

"I need some green veggie to help digest the seeds.  It has a plenty of vitamins."

New Year's Resolutions

Resolution #1:  Increase the use of public transportation.

Public transportation has many good causes such as saving energy, reducing pollution,  etc.  Last year once a week, I rode on a lightrail train instead of driving myself.  This year, I would increase the use so that I can at the same time increase the walking time (20 minutes home after getting off the train).

Resolution #2:  Keep up with the gym exercises 2 -3 times a week.

Resolution #3:  A retired person's must:  Enjoy each day as best as possible.  Keeping up with bird watching and photographing is enjoyable, while keeping up with another foreign language (Chinese) challenging.


The other day a young Cooper's hawk landed on my fence in the rain.  He is keeping up with hunting, although I have never seen him catching any in my backyard so far.  His New Year's Resolution will be to improve his skills of hunting.

 

"OK.  Wish me luck."

"By next year, I promise to be a super hunter."

 

 

 

 

 

 

A New Year Message from Backyard Friends

For past few years, I've been watching and counting birds which I have seen in and from my backyard.  This fall, I have recorded a total of 55 kinds of birds on my database.  It is amazing, indeed!   Some stay here all year around; others are seasonal visitors.

Followings are New Year's messages from them:

Anna's Hummingbird, a resident

 "Ready or not, here I am, flying into the Year 2013!!!"

Townsend's Warbler, a winter visitor

"I am hopping into the New Year...."

Chestnut-backed Chickadee, a winter visitor

"I am wishing for the best harvest year for sunflower seeds."

Lesser Goldfinch, non-resident, but frequent visitor

"Wishing for a Happy New Year for the whole world."