Solitude For Saturday. #4

Posted on January 29, 2022 by

45 Comments

Good morning to everyone! Saturday is here. A day we always look forward to so we can relax from the week. But then we end up being so busy that the day disappears and we wonder what happened. There is always next Saturday. That is just the way things work out sometimes. It is cloudy today, but milder, with a temp of 5F (-15C). The birds are still busy with their breakfast, the one platform feeder is so full of redpolls right now I doubt another one could fit on. But I spoke too soon and another squeezes in.

They generally get along very well those birds, very seldom do I see them fighting. Baxter and Betty, my 2 blue jays have been around all morning so far. Plus there is at least 40, and likely more, pine grosbeaks this morning. At one point they filled the feeder, so the rest went to the overflow feeder, some on the hanging feeders, some sitting in the trees waiting their turn. I tried counting, but I could not see if any were on the ground and they all flew before I was finished counting.

Going down one of the hills, I’m looking down so it doesn’t seem to be so bad, but it is steeper than it looks.

I only saw a few evening grosbeaks this morning however. Lots of chickadees, nuthatches and a couple woodpeckers were here as well. Plus Jasper and Jasmine were busy “playing” in the trees. However, by the time I got out there with my camera, they were done and were just running around in the trees enjoying themselves. Right now Jasper is chasing another squirrel, and this is not a playtime chase. It must be Chase that he is after, Garnet does not go back there. The joys of being top squirrel in a territory.

Speaking of squirrels. I went down to the river again yesterday. The sun was shining so beautifully, the temp was a pleasant 5F (-15C). There was a wind out there too, but it did not seem to be bad. Walking through the trees I did not notice the wind at all. However, once I got to the river, and out in the open, I certainly noticed the wind. It was coming off that cold river and nearly froze the side of my face. But it was very beautiful down there. The sun was sparkling off the ripples on the water.

Goldeneye ducks at the river.

The goldeneye ducks were busy fishing and preening their feathers like it was a nice summer day. There was 23 of them that I could see from where I was sitting. Another person had obviously walked along that section of the path so it was getting packed down a bit better. But because it is so narrow, it is easy to slide off, so I walk carefully along that section of the path. The sun shining through the trees adds such a bright beauty to the path, it looks totally different than on cloudy days. There were black-capped chickadees and red-breasted nuthatches in 3 different places along the path, though none right at the river.

They like to stay in more sheltered areas. There was also a small flock of white-winged crossbills that flew overhead at one point. A hairy woodpecker showed up twice along the way, could have been the same one, hard to tell. And Scramble was waiting for me, sitting on his snow covered rock where I put the peanuts. When he saw me coming he ran up a small balsam tree and waited for me to put the peanuts out, then he came down to get them.

Scramble sitting in a balsam tree.

Some he ate, others he carried off somewhere else. That is a dark area of the forest, thick with trees. But on sunny winter days the sun’s rays do manage to penetrate a little. On cloudy days it is very dark in that area, winter and summer. It can sometimes give such an eerie feeling of being totally alone walking through that area. And it is so quiet walking through there in the summer. Quite beautiful. Well, I should let you go about your day, thank you for reading! Have a wonderful weekend and God bless!

Steve and Muffin. (top image is the beginning of the river path)

©2022 Steve McLeod.

Category: Beauty, Birds, Country Pleasures, Forest, Fun, Happiness, Nature, Outdoors, Peaceful, Photos, Positive, Relax, River, Uncategorized, WinterTags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

45 Comments on “Solitude For Saturday. #4”

    • It was beautiful at the river, but I think I need to spread my walks out a bit more. Yes, more and more birds all the time which is great! It has started snowing again, only supposed to get 2 inches though. Have a great weekend!😀😺🌞☕☕

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  3. Scramble looks cute🥰😍 Beautiful shots of Golden eyes ducks,. Cloudy weekend to begin the day 😉 stay warm have a wonderful weekend ✨🥳🤗

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      • That’s nice, so you are on your way to Sunday I’m on Sunday already 😁 ahh you know I’m a time travel person, always ahead 😋 I want to travel back to time, ☺️ suggest a way. Good Night.

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      • That’s simple, just travel east until your west, when you stop it’ll be best, cause you know that at last, you’ve traveled 24 hours into the past!🤔😂😂

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      • ha ha ha, that’s right 😅so next time I’ll say yes to job offers to Canada. 😁 just to travel back in time 🤣

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      • Just make sure you pick a part of Canada that’s warmer…I mean somewhat warmer…well, I mean, not so cold…well, it’s cold, but maybe not as cold as some places in Canada!😳😳🤔🤔🙄🙄😂😂😹😹

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      • ha ha ha 🤣😂😂 Cold is one good reason I chose not to accept Canada offers 🤪. I wish there is one good warm place for me😅 to keep me always hot ☺️

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      • No I mean seriously I wanted to move 😅waiting to choose the job I know ☺️and the place it’s warm 😁 I’ll soon find 🙄I hope soon 🙄🙄

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  7. So awesome photos nice to hear that your birds and squirrels coming and
    You enjoying with them Cute Muffin also 🌷🙏😊here Chinese New Year coming,
    And 10 days holiday here 👍🏻😊my children family coming and I’m busy 😊👍🏻
    Winter photos nice and take care , happy weekend ❄️🙂

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  8. It was great reading about your trip to the river and all the birds at your feeders ! Lovely pics Steve ! Say hello to Muffin for me ! Sleep well ! 🙂😻😴

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    • Thanks for reading today Sharon! One hello to Muffin coming up, when I see her, she must be looking out the bedroom window right now. Yes, I hope I sleep good tonight. Have a good night as well!😁😻🌙😴

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  9. Beautiful photos, Steve! It’s good you could spend time at the river with the birds and squirrels. It’s was 20 F in my neck of the woods this morning. We got part of the winter storm that hit the east coast. South Florida temps dipped to 28 F this morning! Give Muffin a hug and stay safe and warm. 😻🧣 🧤 🧥🐥 🦆 ❄️☕️
    ☕️

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    • Thank you very much Eugenia! I might only get one more trip to the river, and that is tomorrow as we are getting more snow and that could make the path too hard for me.
      Wow, that is getting cold down there, never thought southern Florida would actually get freezing temps. Hug given to Muffin and she sends lots of purrs of thanks!😀😻🌙☕☕❄❄😳

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