It is a beautiful sunny day.
Today we have had some flurries and ice-crystals in the air.
This Pine Siskin is surrounded.
I have a new comer to the feeder!
These guys are unknown to me, at least in this plumage.
They have some pinkish feathers on their breasts and a bright red blaze on the top of their heads.
They are some sort of finch.
They are as picky as the others. Note how they throw their food around!
See the seed in the air?
The Chickadees are digging right now for their favorites, the black sunflower seeds.
Victory!
I will feel much the same when my Navy Bean Soup is ready.
It isn’t yet.
Profound health, as far as I can tell. Glossy deep green leaves and new growth.
There are even little flowers coming.
There it is!
Candlemas proceeds through the day.
My bird loving 10 year old son says it’s a common redpoll and he thinks you are very lucky to see one!
Yes indeed it is a redpoll. Very cold hard bird that only migrate south if their prefered food is unavailable.
He’s right. They’re Common Redpolls. They come down to the U.S. in the winter like Pine Siskins, to whom they are quite closely related (they’re in the same genus).
Ok, Father, give it up – what’s the recipe for the Navy Bean Soup? Do I have to wait for a cookbook? (hint)
I am so taken with your pictures of your birds, also really like the ‘tweeter feed’ and chant,on that tweeter thing. I had 3 feeders out but the deer came in every night and ate all the bird food, I did hang 4 suit cakes out ,but they don’t like that as much.Gotta find a feeder that the deer can’t get thier tongues in. Am having my home made bean soup today, also mmmmmmmmmmmm good.
No recipe this time. I’m just making soup!
I used some chopped onion, carrot and celery. There are pork neck bones. I soaked the beans over night and drained them. I made a bouquet garni from rosemary, thyme and a bay leaf. That’s it. I will adjust the seasoning later. I may take out a little and puree it and add it back in for texture.
Make soup! It’s easy! It’s good! It’s cheap!
Today for lunch I had some minestrone I made from odds and ends. Yum.
ALL: You were right about that being the Common Redpole!
Carduelis flammea
Not so common around here before this.
In French and Spanish the are Sizerin flammé and Pardillo sizerín. Very like Siskin!
Very lucky indeed to be visited by a Redpoll! Serious birder here, and I’ve never seen one… :(
michael r: a whole flock of them, perhaps a dozen. I suspect they may be migrating south. It has been a tough winter already.
These little redpolls look like they’ve been eating raspberry jam!
Another of your fans took the words right out of my mouth – we need a cookbook from you, at least for these delicious looking soups!
OK. No recipe this time, but think about the cookbook! I’m serious!
Hi Fr. Z. Thanks for the shout out yesterday… and I’m glad you think my thought was entertaining!
Re: migrating south
Well, we had a bunch of Canadian geese migrate farther south a couple of weeks ago, right before the cold snap hit. So these redpolls must have done the same thing.