Hi everyone! My schedule is really off these days, really mixed up, which is terrible. But I hope to get things straightened out soon and have a new schedule ready to go. It started snowing earlier this morning, not too serious, about 3 1/2 inches (8.75cm) so far, but it is still snowing a bit. It should stop later though and then start over again tomorrow with another 3 or 4 inches forecast. Then Thursday there should be a bit more.

But starting Wednesday it will get a bit colder for us, with lows at night of -22F (-30C) and perhaps a bit colder. Not as bad as it could be, but still too cold for me. I’m a summer warmth person, not a winter cold person. I think I may have mentioned that once or twice over the years. A lonely, warm, tropical island sounds better every winter. It is a nice dream anyway. I like to dream, it’s fun, and it’s warm. The birds are very busy today, trying hard to eat the seeds before they get covered with snow. And they are doing a good job too.

A downy woodpecker came to one of the suet feeders and was enjoying himself, until the larger hairy woodpecker came along. That was the hairy woodpecker’s favorite feeder, so he chased the little downy off. No problem, the downy just went down the line to feeder #2. Hairy spotted him and went over and chased him off that one and took over, feasting away. The downy was not going to give up however, and went back to the first feeder, but on the other side, so the hairy could not see him.

It worked very well and both ate contentedly after that. A red-breasted nuthatch was on suet feeder #3 at the same time and several chickadees were waiting in line for their turn. One chickadee went on feeder #3 with the nuthatch. The nuthatch tried to scare it off by spreading his wings to make himself look bigger, but the chickadee did not do anything but eat. So the nuthatch went back to eating as well. Must be time for more coffee, this is a good coffee day. Have a nice warm day and God bless!

Steve and Muffin. (top featured image shows some of my feeders and the extensions needed to make them legal, looking out over the neighbors yard)

©2021 Steve McLeod.