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The Feeder Feed
There are some really cold birds out there! This morning it was way below zero Fahrenheit and windy.
The birds are eating prodigiously, doing their puffball thing, sometimes sitting low on their feet to preserve warmth.
Cold Nuthatch.
An eating Goldfinch.
Mrs. Cardinal. Cold.
Hunkered down.
Against the wind.
Yesterday I spotted flying over the house here, an American Bald Eagle, but didn’t have my camera nearby. Also, I spotted a large hawk, but I am not sure which.
What beautiful creatures God has given us for His and our enjoyment. I would invite them in from the cold, but my three cats would not be hospitable. Happy New Year.
Comment by Supertradmom — 2 January 2010 @ 4:26 pmSuper: On the contrary. The cats would be very welcoming.
Comment by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf — 2 January 2010 @ 4:38 pmoh, how beautiful! Thank you, Fr. Z.!
Comment by DebbieInCT — 2 January 2010 @ 6:50 pmFather, You may wish to report the sighting of that Bald Eagle as the nationwide Midwinter Eagle Survey is currently underway from Dec 30 to Jan. 13th. We also had a one fly by our home today in Massachusetts during the snowstorm. Thrilling to see! But the chickens get quite nervous.
Report info in Massachusetts: mass.wildlife@state.ma.us Provide the date, time, location, and town of eagle sightings, plus the number of birds, whether juvenile or adult, and your contact information. http://environment.blog.state.ma.us/
Thank you for all your posts – from the simple pleasures at the feeder to those containing “ineffable”-type wisdom.
Comment by phyllis — 2 January 2010 @ 7:49 pmI’ve always wondered, so I looked it up…
http://danversoracle.media.mit.edu:4000/servlet/pluto?state=30303470616765303037576562506167653030326964303033383935
it’s all down to the precapillary sphincters
pretty cool.
Comment by xsosdid — 2 January 2010 @ 8:50 pmOoh, the birds look cold! The Blue Jay picture is gorgeous. The birds seem to grow a bit longer, fluffier feathers for winter, no?
The birds here seem to be making themselves scarce. I did see one lone Mrs. Cardinal braving the wind & cold. Also spotted a Mockingbird, hadn’t seen him for a while.
I’m a cat person also & my cat used to practice catch & release. She would catch something and bring it into the house & release it. Once, a Cardinal, another time a chipmunk. Much screaming and chaos ensued. Thankfully the cat is up in years now and no longer goes outside much.
Thank you Fr. Z. for sharing your beautiful photos.
Comment by wanda — 2 January 2010 @ 8:50 pmFather, I envy you that blue jay. We’ve had a shortage of them here in the South for several years, because West Nile virus hit both blue jays and hawks pretty hard a few years back.
My feeders attract a few more doves and pigeons than I’d care to see, but this past week I’ve seen a peregrine falcon dive-bombing them. Couldn’t ID him for certain until he perched a few minutes on the fence facing me. Such beauty! It took my breath away. It was, dare I say, an INEFFABLY beautiful sight! :-)
Comment by Jaybirdnbham — 2 January 2010 @ 9:00 pmThese guys are stoic! They stand steadfast against the bitter cold day and night, whereas we duck to cover, and artificial heat. Not a feather drops that God doesn’t know about.
Comment by Maltese — 2 January 2010 @ 9:28 pmhave many similar birds at my feeders. have a solitary goldfinch that loves suet. but had this fine fellow visit two weeks ago.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pak152/4200939725/
but he didn’t get he wanted
Comment by PeterK — 2 January 2010 @ 10:12 pmNnn-nnnice bbb-bbbbrrrrrrrdz….
Comment by Agnes — 3 January 2010 @ 1:55 amHere’s a bird story: in England, we would leave the door into the enclosed garden open for the children to go in and out. One day, when I left fresh grapes on the counter, a Blackbird, which is a cousin to the American Robin, walked in and started eating my grapes. We chased him through the house, until he went out the patio doors off the living room. Then, walking back into the kitchen, we saw a dove going for the grapes. He flew around the kitchen and went out the back door. We also had birds coming down the chimney once in awhile-mostly sparrows.
If you want to see Bald Eagles, in about two weeks, dozens of them arrive on the Mississippi River from Davenport up to Bellevue. Iowa. They come from the north to where the ice begins to break up in order to eat the fish. We have seen as many as twenty at a time.
Comment by Supertradmom — 3 January 2010 @ 2:06 amThis is totally “for the birdZ” :) Happy New Year, Father!
Comment by Immaculatae — 3 January 2010 @ 5:07 pmWill those lanyards be available for Father’s Day gifts for our favorite priest’s? I hope so. I miss Zchat, but I pray more this way.
that would be priests (plural)
Comment by Immaculatae — 3 January 2010 @ 5:12 pmI will never tire of your bird pictures!
Comment by Mary Bruno — 3 January 2010 @ 10:02 pmPoor little birds!
It’s 17 degrees here this morning with a brisk wind, and our Southern feathered friends are not used to this sort of deep freeze.
I put out extra seed and will go get some suet this afternoon.
Comment by An American Mother — 4 January 2010 @ 9:28 amPoor birdies, all puffed up in the cold!
But they are so pretty to see against the snow.
Too bad you didn’t get a picture of the bald eagle, Father Z-that would have been a sight!
Comment by irishgirl — 4 January 2010 @ 11:34 am