Rainy and Dark Days

 Rainy and dark days.   It will be better soon. 🎄🎄🎄

More backyard friends are here.  (The road to the wetlands nearby is flooded right now.🥲)

"My friends and I come here more often. "😉

"I come here by myself."😊

"I am a daily visitor now."👍

Backyard Friends

 Backyard friends are busy finding food here.

"Beauty Berries are a little tart, but I like these."😉

"We come here to eat the roasted sunflower seeds at the feeder."☺️

"I finished eating seeds on the ground and 

now it's the time to get clean."👍

Wetland Scene

 At the wetland nearby, wild roses are in bloom.

At the top of a dead tree, Anna's Hummingbird is often found.  

"It's a nice day.  This is my spot."

Song Sparrow:  "I'm calling for a girlfriend. "

Spotted Towhee:  "Me, too."

Spring Wetland

 At the wetland nearby, most of the waterfowl are gone to the north.   Spring is here with bushes loaded with buds.

"I am ready to sing."

Canadian Geese are loud.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

Tree Swallows are back to nest here.

"Oregon is a cool place to stay."

Birdbath Friends

 The weather is now very hot for a week (around 100 F).  My backyard finally have one, two, and three white butterflies floating around.

I have three birdbaths in the backyard.  This cement one is heavy and old.  

"I like this one in the shade, though it is shallow."😉😁

"I like it, too.  It hides me for safety."😉👍

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.😊😎👀"

 

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.😎🤩"

Nest Building Season

 In my backyard, birds are getting busy.   

The other day Spotted Towhee found  good nest material. 

 

"I think this is very good for my nest.  Just it needs to be pulled harder.😊"

Varied Thrush, female:  "I come here often this spring.  Maybe it is safe enough to build a nest?💓"

Rufous Hummingbird, male: "My partner may like to build a nest near here💑."

Day is Longer

On a clear day last week I went to the wetland.  No road was flooded, thank goodness.  The bright sunrise in the morning.

Not many waterfowls.  They might have left here since the spring is near.

February 12th is lunar Chinese New Year called "Spring Festival."

"Uum, we can smell the spring."

"It is almost spring.  I can eat these new buds."

"I am a young Red-tailed Hawk, and  I 

can feel the daytime is getting longer."

 

Backyard in Summer

Wild flowers on the lawn in the backyard

Spotted Towhees come and visit my backyard everyday.

So do the Black-capped Chickadees

”I come here everyday."

No Much Food Around

In the low winter temperature in the Northwest, most of the wild food is gone.  So the wildlife need to eat even sour berries in my backyard.

Anna's Hummingbird, female:  "I know this is not sweet, but I can find a bug around here."

Spotted Towhee, male:  "These are still berries, but sour berries."

Gray Squirrel:  "These are called Beauty Berries.  I will try them, too."

An Autumn Day

This weekend an air show was going on against the blue sky.

Such a nice autumn day.   Many birds enjoyed the bird bath!

Spotted Towhee, female:  "I like to walk in the cold water."

Spotted Towhee, female:   "I am soaking now.  Feeling good."

Golden-crowned Sparrow:  " I just returned from the woods."

Young Ones

Young ones are still around with their parent in my backyard.  One hot day I saw a mother Spotted Towhee and its young together on the fence.

"Ready for a nice photo.  Say "Cheese."

On another occasion, I saw a American Goldfinch dad with its young.

"Dad, show me how to take a bath here."

All summer long they are busy raising their young ones.

Happy New Year

Birds are tough in the cold temperature.   Even when I am bundled up, I feel very cold outside while taking photos.   (Through the double or triple paned windows, I cannot take a clear photo.  I need to be out to take a bird photo.)

Male Anna's Hummingbird

"A message from all of us birds:  Happy New Year!"

Male Northern Flicker

Male Spotted Towhee

Three Meals A Day

The other morning I counted a total of six squirrels.  Usually 3-4 of them are around.  They live  around a pine tree, because they are called ”松鼠” meaning a pine mouse in Chinese.

Together with the squirrels, little birds are busy eating 3 meals a day in my backyard.  Another bird who happened to try the beauty berries was this Spotted Towhee.

"A lot of berries!"

"See, this pretty purple berry."