Good morning on this very wet Tuesday! We did get quite a bit of rain yesterday and overnight, about 1 and a half inches (37mm). Of course since the ground is still quite frozen in most areas all that rain just mainly ran off the land into the lake and river. That will raise the water level quite a bit in the river for a while. It will also make it harder to cross that one wet area along the path to the river. I might not be able to get across that area at all.

Originally today was supposed to be mainly sunny, but now it won’t be clearing until later today. So I will not try for a walk to the river, I would prefer a sunny day for that, and tomorrow is supposed to be sunny, the only day this week. The feeders have been very busy again the last couple of days, including this morning, though something just scared them all away. It is amazing to see so many evening grosbeaks around still, usually they are gone by now except for around a dozen that stay all summer.

There are some purple finches too, plus grackles, red-winged blackbirds and numerous different sparrows. Nearly all the juncos are gone now except 2, all the redpolls have gone finally and oddly the pine siskins are also gone. They usually stay around all summer. Sir George, Lady Pearl, Sir Henry and Lady Patricia were all here earlier for their breakfast. I am surprised they are not nesting yet. There are several Harris’ sparrows out here this morning so I hope to get some pictures of them if the sun comes out.

They will not be around long this spring since things are so late and they breed further north. I had a mourning dove here for 2 days, there is a pair that usually nest in the area but never too close. However, it seems to have disappeared and because of the rain and dark skies I was unable to get a picture of it. So sad, I have been hoping each year to get a picture of one. And yesterday I was sitting here and looked out the window and saw a male rose-breasted grosbeak in the birch tree.

I have been trying to get a picture of him each year too, but the males usually only are here for one day and then move on, which does not give much chance. But even though it was raining I grabbed my camera and went out slowly. I turned my camera on before going out so I would be ready. I thought. I go out, take aim and…nothing. I did not turn the camera on. I thought. I turned it on again and…nothing. The battery was dead.

I went back inside quickly, changed the battery and went back out and…nothing. Something scared the birds, not me, and there was none left, not even that rose-breasted grosbeak. Sigh. Maybe today? Oh well. I did laugh about it quite a bit though. Thank you everyone for participating in naming our new chipmunk! Muffin and I had fun with it too and what better way to choose the name? Looks like it will be another indoor day and that means more coffee! Please help yourself to another cup, thank you for reading, have a wonderful day and God bless!

Steve and Muffin. (Praying for the people of Ukraine)

©2022 Steve McLeod.