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."