The titmouse is entitled to its opinion, but I think I'll wait until after the Ides of March before I get the yard into Spring mode. I still remember the five or six nor'easters we got in March a few years ago and the heavy wet snow that mangled some of my trees.

I may roll the little red wagon down off the porch so I can stop carrying big bags of bird seed from the car to the house, but I'm not ready to take down the red bows and other decorations until I see some more plant growth.

Claire, who doesn't trust Mother Nature to let Winter go so easily

Well, I decided to roll the little red wagon off the porch today while the car was warming up, and first I had to take off the covers so I could bump the wagon down the porch steps.

Lo and behold, there were four or five mice under the covers in a nice cozy nest! Luckily there were no babies, just adults racing around wondering where their roof went.

While I was trying to shoo them off the wagon the local barn cat showed up looking for his cat treats and he was about to pounce on the mice. I shouted "NO, YOU CAN'T HUNT MY MICE!" and he backed off looking surprised. I put his treats in a different spot but he left in a huff (I think he spends the night in the barn with the cattle but roams the neighborhood during the day looking for handouts and attention).

Anyway, the mice are somewhere under the piles of cardboard and birdseed bags on the porch, looking for a new home, and the wagon is down by the car waiting for some shopping to deliver.

Claire

What a good, possessive landlady and cat handler,lol! Better to nest in the wagon than under the car hood. I think it's hard to be an equal opportunity giver of good in Nature's design, but you did well.

This morning I saw Mr. & Mrs. RT Hawk in their new house across the street in a giant oak. They both landed in the nest, then flew about 20' away to another branch across the street where he jumped on top of her and off, no cigarette or wine after, he just went to a nearby squirrel's nest for breakfast and she went back to the nest. It's that 'nesty' time of year.

I dunno...maybe she sent him to the drive thru...some things I just don't need to know. 😊

Jane

Thanks, Jane. I think I see a furry tail, chipmunk? in the hawk nest.

Claire

Squirrel

My new neighbor outside my bedroom window, across the street. Mrs. Red-tailed Hawk is sitting on eggs, I think. Below her is one very stupid, short-sighted squirrel. Boy, she ruffled her feathers at him before he retreated at mach 1. New pine branches were just added. Hope she's comfy.

No, the wind spinner doesn't bother anyone. I think they like it. I know I do.

Jane

That is one lucky squirrel, Jane! Good thing the brooding hawk was busy with the eggs, and good thing the other hawk wasn't hunting nearby.

Maybe the dove feels safe under the spinner - no hawk can easily get past it.

Claire

The music and flowers are worth watching, IMHO.

HAPPY SPRING!

Ah, so beautiful and calming - even though it's dank and rainy outside now. The birds are still singing too.

Claire

Well, my new RT Hawk neighbors are already far more interesting and nicer than some of the human neighbors. Went to the mailbox this morning, heard the familiar hawk talk while they're in soaring mode, looked at the nest, nobody home. Said to self, "Where is he?" and there, sans camera, he flew not 15 feet in front of me across the front lawn about 10' off the ground. I'm wondering if this new nest was created by last year's offspring from the nest 2 houses up. Now, god help the little birds, there are 4 RT's cruising the same area. I live in practical isolation anyway, so this current isolating situation is not revolting to my style. However, I think I am much better off than than the cardinals, chickadees, bluebirds, et al, all trying to nest and prosper between Red-tailed Hawk nests. One these days, I'll catch him in flight again.

Jane, who is planting lettuces...forgot to buy spinach seeds. Oh well, rocket will do.

Squirrel gives new meaning to 'shelter in place'. . .

And it's a good way to hide from the red-tailed hawks too!

Claire

Mac Photos increases my BP. Have to practice with another program. The bluebirds inspected an empty suet cage this morning and didn't take long to get to a new suet cake. Successive shots show what a fast landing can do. The downy panicked and left. They're all plowing through suet these days.

Jane

Nice action shots, Jane. I didn't know that bluebirds visited suet feeders (and could cling to them).

I just mixed up a new 50% sucrose solution to keep in the refrigerator for the eventual hummingbird arrival. That way I can spring into action if I see a hummingbird. It helps that the feeders never got down into the cellar so they're ready to be filled.

Claire

I saw my first bluebird yesterday afternoon. That is really early for my part of New England.

The new wren house was taken by the Carolina Wren family. And, the Bluebird family moved into the bluebird house! Nice when we all fit into comfy spots.

Jane

So nice that both NHBabs and Jane are seeing bluebirds. I've only seen them a few times here, although they are in the neighborhood. I think it's just too woodsy here - bluebirds like open space.

Lots and lots of red-wings here now.

Claire

Winter usually has one last parting shot and today is it. I figured something was up because the dark-eyed juncos weren't budging. They're quite happy today.

Titmice pair

Sparrow is so little.

Finch shot - kind of looks like a painting.

Jane

Somehow snow in March just doesn't get the "Oh, a winter wonderland!" juices flowing. It mostly induces disgust, at least in me. Luckily, I haven't seen a junco in about a month and it's just raining now.

Titmice are really pretty birds with the lovely colors and the stuffed animal eyes.

Amid a world filled with oak leaves and plant debris, some daffodils are sprouting.
N. Rijnveld's Early Sensation

Spring is really coming, albeit slowly and sloppily.

Claire

The storm is moving north this time, so it is hitting us later than you, Claire And Jane. Though it has been spitting short spurts of snow on and off all morning, it is now (mid afternoon) starting to snow lightly but steadily. We are predicted to get something around 6” here, and it has felt raw and chill when I have gone out this morning. I wasn’t tempted to go for a longer walk this morning. The turkeys are visiting the manure pile out in the field, stocking up before it gets covered. I expect that the snow will have mostly melted by this time tomorrow since it supposed to get into the 50’s.

The rain/snow line is still north of us, but uncomfortably close, and I just looked out the window and saw a junco! They're still predicting 1 to 2 inches of rain and I hope they're right and the junco is wrong..

Claire

It’ll melt. Driveway and roads are black. Juncos will take off in another week or so.

Corunum, your copper spinner is so shiny! I have one with patina, but I miss that shiny color. I've been wanting to post this photo for a long while...I love the patterns under the bird feeder after it snows. It's like the birds turn the snow into their own little knitting pattern. Had to take this through binoculars.

He's working on the yellow - must be a 1st year guy.

For birders...

Love the turkey vulture spacing, Jane! The thought of a stretched out vulture next to me really drives home the need for space.

Those are lovely textured patterns in the snow, Deanna. It gives more meaning to the term 'blanket of snow", as if the blanket is a discrete item placed onto the ground.

I also have a copper spinner (actually two) and when I got them there was an instruction to apply car wax/polish to the spinner to keep it shiny. I had some spray-on car polish and wiped it onto the spinners and they have kept their shine reasonably well. I don't know if you can restore the shine but you could try.

Claire

TVs tend to vomit when startled or feeling threatened. So my prefered distance from TVs is usually more than 6’ due to odor . . .I have been seeing them since early March, earlier than typical here.

I have not yet seen goldfinches even on old seed heads that remain in the garden, so I don’t know if they are here or not. I did hear a lone wood frog one quite warm afternoon last week.

Thanks, Claire. I'll be I could polish them and then put the wax on. Great tip!

For some reason I imagine I see goldfinches often. Must be my summer brain just wishing for them in winter. Winter always seems to just whiz by so fast.

I'm occasionally seeing goldfinches, although the house finches are more common now. I see finches all winter.

On March 9 I mentioned the local barn cat visiting and trying to hunt the mice in my wagon. He came back today for his treats.

He only eats some of them. I think he gets fed well by the neighbors and mostly just wants some attention. I greet him enthusiastically and he follows me around a bit while I'm dealing with the birds, and then he leaves to carry on with his inspection of the property.

Claire

Wait, Claire, how did our cat get all the way down to Plymouth? Must be his South Shore twin!

He really does look the same, nekobus. Probably another sweet, affectionate cat - I just hope yours doesn't hunt birds. I keeping telling this one I don't want him hunting my birds, but he just nods his head and smiles.

The problem is he's a barn cat and he was hired to hunt.

Claire

Mine’s just got a taste for rabbits, which is fine by me. Need to see if I can adopt a bobcat to take care of the groundhog problem.

nekobus, Violet-the-Bunny is glad she lives here with me. The cat I lost in 2017 never chased birds or bunnies, put would pinch a garter sn*ke and bring it home. How nice. (not) Had cats all my life and figured they were either 'stringers' or 'ballers'. If they chased a ball, they would chase birds. Those that preferred string, chased sn*kes, mice, chipmunks. Just found it interesting. Kinda like pop flies or grounders, I guess.

In our current state of isolation, everybody is home alone at one time or ruther...

Jane 😊 (not my picture)

It's been quiet on the bird front this winter and is continuing that way. Each year I save things like thread, string, yarn and come spring I put it out for the birds for their nest-building. Unfortunately I'm very late every year. So could someone tell me when it would be the most helpful to put this stuff out? I could already be late.....thanks. (I'm in Central Vermont )

I hope someone from farther north answers this for you. I'm in southeast Massachusetts and my answer would be to get the stuff out ASAP. It's not going to rot and it's good to have it there when the birds are ready. Different birds nest at different times.

A similar issue is when to put out birdhouses.

Claire

Hi Skibby - Someone gave me a grapevine basket of alpaca hair one year and they plowed right through it. However, on a world-wide birders website, it is pleaded that people do not put out string, yarn, drier lint, etc. String and yarn in longish lengths can be deadly and without actually seeing how it ends up, it's difficult to tell whether it helped build a nest or not. Here's an Audubon article that may help your goodhearted intentions: Safe Nesting Materials

Jane

Good article, Jane. I'm in the weeks-long process of cutting down ornamental grasses, a few at a time, and I usually leave the cuttings in the garden for mulch.

I'm thinking that I should cut some of the stuff much smaller and leave that and some chopped empty seedheads for the birds to use for nests. I think I once saw a sparrow with a beakful of grass seedheads so they may use them.

Claire

Thank you all for the quick responses and additional information. Very much appreciated. Next time I'm out I'll put it out. My Christmas tree is still out there (for this very reason.) So that's where it will go.

Just a report on the barn cat that visits here during the day time. He's been spending more time here since the next door neighbor is away (he feeds the cat too). The neighbor arranged for someone to put food and water out but that apparently isn't good enough - the cat wants personal attention.

I took the outer covers off of two shrubs and put them temporarily on the porch before bringing them down to the cellar. At least I thought it was temporary, the cat thinks otherwise. They seem to be a fine sleeping place in between two galvanized trash cans (with bird food inside) and with afternoon sun.

I got worried last night when the cat was still sleeping there when it started to get late, but he was back this morning so I guess he did go back to his barn for the night.

Claire

This morning I have access to this thread. Been locked out for more than week - don't understand it. However, as a cat person, he/she knows a softy. I'd feed him and pet him.

Goldfinch love through a rain-soaked window. Got 2.5" of rain yesterday, no trees down, but ornamental pear and thunder-cloud plum blossoms look like white and pink front lawn confetti.

Mrs.Red-tailed Hawk, our new neighbor, sitting on the next generation:

Across the street, I think the Red-shouldered hawks moved in. Heaven help my birds at the feeders. And, the chipmunks bought a bulldozer, or so it looks around the stone walls.

Jane

Claire, have you named the cat yet? Something other than Barney, perhaps. Nice looking he or she.

NHBabs and Jane: Bears and hawks, Oh My!

I need to go across the street this afternoon to listen for peepers. I haven't heard any yet but I haven't been there at the right time.

The owners of the cat call him Midget; my next door neighbor calls him Wooly Bear. That's enough names for a cat that isn't even mine. He wants to come in the house but I refuse. A hunter that travels in poison ivy and tick-infested areas and would insist on access to the outside, is not welcome in my house. The porch is fine.

Claire

edit note: no peepers today

We had peepers this evening, but not as loud as some other evenings.

It’s snowing. Dark-eyed Juncos are still on target - there were two of them still here yesterday.

Snow on thunder cloud plum blossoms, April 16, 2020 6:40AM

Jane

Snow doesn't belong in a Spring Wonder Land.

Claire

Me too! I was about to go out and refill various bird feeders when it started snowing! The sky had been looking ominous for a while but I figured maybe a little rain. The temperature was way above freezing.

A grackle looked a little disgusted (grackles are good at that) - maybe because the feeder was almost empty as well as the snow.

A red-winged blackbird went for what suet was left as the snow piled up.

It stopped snowing quickly, I refilled the suet feeder and others, and the snow is all gone.

Claire

May snow again tonight...but will hit 60° by Sunday, so the shovel will remain retired.
Thus far, with two hawk nests across the street and the return of the red squirrels, it appears this will be one of ' those' years -- the type of year where the survival of the fittest theory will test its efficacy. Hard shooting into a rising sun, but, that's when the bluejays decided to settle a score with a hawk.

And, the meanest little guy in town likes the deck railing. If one could package chutzpah, this guy would need a garden cart to carry all the audaciousness and arrogance he has. So, between 4 resident hawks, red-tailed and red-shouldered, and the red squirrels, it may be a hellishly red summer!

Jane

P.S. The farm store just delivered my order and the chap said they are seeing a different type of customer now. The pandemic is bringing out future gardeners - more people are interested in and are beginning victory gardens. Here's hoping that may become a trend.

My gut says the juncos will be leaving tomorrow. Snow has ended here now, the serviceberry is blooming, honeysuckle is leafed out, PJMs all dressed in purple, etc.

He was right last year in April and 2018, too. Until we meet again, little fella...

I trust a bird.

Jane

It was a subtle strike, but I got the point. Didn't know it was empty and knew the deer was too short to have cleaned it out before dawn. All is well again.

She was by herself at 4:43AM. Hopefully, there were friends nearby but out of camera range.

Nice pictures, Jane.

This thread is getting a little long and slow to load for some so I'll set up another one soon. As always, you're welcome to continue the discussion here, but please post new material on the new thread,

Thanks,

Claire