Ingrid Yippee! I am celebrating with you!! These tiny darlings are truly our little rose babies. I have a RVR Botzaris that subjected me to similar parental joys and frets. When the postal stork arrived with it, Botzaris was just a minute green sprout tucked into its cozy 4" pot. I watered it and then transplanted it to a larger plastic cradle in a very special corner of my nursery. I checked on Botzaris several times per day, testing its soil diaper and nursing it diligently. One morning I went to the nursery to peek at its progress and discovered that...it was gone! Eek!! I practically stuck my nose in the dirt in my frantic search for traces of Botzaris. Then I spotted the remains. An 1/8" stub just above the soil line. The fluffy-tailed tree rats had struck my garden again. In a tearful panic, I ran to the garage in search of anything resembling armor-plating. I spied my rather expensive English riddle teetering on a shelf at the back. (This unique piece of equipment was purchased from Smith and Hawken back in the day when S&H was truly S&H.) Yes, the riddle would serve the purpose. But the riddle would rust and disintegrate in Portland's late winter/spring downpours. Hmmm. Rose. Riddle. Rose. RIddle. As you may have guessed, Botzaris--my precious baby Botzaris--won the debate. After keeping a watchful eye (like a mama hawk), enduring more stretches of constant nurturing including many gentle feedings of compost tea, I spied a microscopic stem with even dinkier leaves emerging next to the stubbins. My neighbors must have heard the WHOOP for blocks! I left the rusty riddle in place and maintained a constant vigilance against further attacks by fluffy-tailed rose assassins. When I finally witnessed my little white damask growing into a strapping young toddling beauty, I breathed a deep sigh of relief. Ahhhhh. The joys of parenting! Please post photos of your first grandflower! Still cheering for you in PDX-- Carol

Thanks for your responses. I am beginning to think it is due to the mild winter we are having. The Siskins and Grosbeaks I usually have, are probably not coming this far south. Any Canadians having an increase and decrease of their usual feeder visitors? I have had a Brown Creeper visiting, which has been rare for me. Glad to see it, such a neat little guy.

With the Cuddeback camera, every morning seems like Christmas..I can hardly wait to see what I have! Last night's photos: 2-23-09, Pond trail, female Gray Fox, 9:26 p.m. From Cuddeback trail camera photos-wildlife on Picazo Farm pond trail 2-24-09, Pond trail, young male Red Fox, 1:21 a.m. From Cuddeback trail camera photos-wildlife on Picazo Farm pond trail 2-24-09, Pond trail, female Gray Fox, 5:31 a.m. From Cuddeback trail camera photos-wildlife on Picazo Farm pond trail I took photos of the jumble of tracks in front of the Cuddeback camera to establish the genders of the foxes in the photos 2-24-09, mixed fox tracks; Round-toed Gray Fox below, triangular Red Fox tracks above From Cuddeback trail camera photos-wildlife on Picazo Farm pond trail 2-24-09, Red Fox tracks, showing slight inner step with hind foot, showing him to be a young male (male's shoulders are wider than female's, so the hind foot, which lands on top of the front foot track, tracks slightly to the inside) From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat 2-24-09, female Gray Fox tracks, showing hind foot stepping slightly to the outside to account for wider hips From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat The young female coyote's tracks came down the hill behind the horse shed by the kitchen, then trotted up the pond trail to the first corner before cutting off through the woods. I followed the male Red Fox's tracks further down the logging road until the young female coyote's tracks reappeared on the logging road further back on our property. A male coyote's tracks from the day before came down the hill and onto the logging road at a track "intersection"-another great spot for a Cuddeback camera. I followed the female coyote's tracks until she turned off the trail, straight down the hill, then I circled my land and found where she crossed a log high above the creek gully onto the property in the first place. From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat then went up the hill where she must have circled around to come out by our kitchen From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat I even slithered down a steep, snowy hillside, hanging onto shrubs high above the creek, carrying my expensive camera, to investigate a den in the side of the mountain, but only a squirrel's tracks were near the entrance. For three hours I tramped around our property writing down track and stride measurements, taking hundreds of track photos, etc. I'm really nosy like that; I told DuBois that if the animals were humans they'd have a restraining order on me for stalking and photographing them. To get back on the forum subject (I really should find a wildlife forum for these photos)-despite 17 degrees this morning, the Red-Shouldered Hawk is yelping again to declare his territory, Cardinals have started their "cheer, cheer!"s, Titmice have begun their "Peter-peters" and even the Carolina Chickadees are doing "see-bee, see bay"s now. So, ready or not, spring is coming

I can't speak for siskins, but I'm discovering that nature isn't always consistent. There are so many variables that we are unaware of. Like here, we've always had toads in our little pond every year. But this year, not a one. Some years I have lots of certain birds and the next year I don't. Your siskins will probably come back some time in the future.,