Pretty Birds

Well, the Christmas rush is over. It was another wonderful holiday season with the one exception of my Dad's health. My 59th birthday passed with little fanfare, I wanted to get to Reiman Gardens and the butterfly house for my birthday but that did not happen with all the other things going on.

We have had one storm after another with ice, snow, rain and fog, what is next a tsunami? :)

I have noticed something at my feeders that I have not witnessed in all my years of feeding the birds, juncos are coming and eating out of the feeders, they have always been plentiful around here but they always ate off the ground, this year they are regularly at my feeders, I am not sure if they have gotten smarter or hungrier :). The Carolina Wren is still a daily visitor.

First Winter Storm Watch, Carolina Wren and other things.

Well, we are officially under our first winter storm watch starting Saturday AM, I am supposed to get my grandsons this weekend (they live about 90 miles away) now I wonder if that will happen. I also need to get up to see my Dad (about 60 miles away) I am wondering about that as well. Time will tell, sounds like an ugly storm with freezing sleet, rain, and snow.

The Carolina Wren is back at my feeder for the 3rd winter in a row, I never see them in the summer. I don't know if they spend the summer here but do not come to my feeders or if they move on in the summer and whether they go back to Carolina for a visit, why they spend their winters in Iowa is beyond me..........

This little silver leafed begonia is one of my favorites, the leaves are so pretty, I imagine it gets flowers but this one has not flowered for me. I ordered a few new houseplants from Logees but I think I may have waited too late as they will not ship when the temps are too cold, so this may be an order I don't get until spring, darn it, it is my tradition to order a few new houseplants each fall but I think I waited too long this particular fall. I have been ordering from them for years as they carry lots of houseplants that are not available locally. I got caught up in the houseplant craze in the late 60s and early 70s and have never gotten out of it.

Carolina Wren is Back!

After not seeing our southern visitor for 15 days she was back at the feeder today, with the temps in the 20s for the first time in a long time. I wonder where and what she was doing while it was so cold. I would have taken her picture but it is kind of difficult to do on one leg :)

I received a catalog in the mail today of all Japanese Maples, I had a wonderful time looking through it but the company obviously does not know it's gardening zones as Japanese Maples do not survive in zone 4, I wish they did as they are beautiful!

Since I like to share pictures with my posts, I decided to share a collage I made of my summer blooming honeysuckle, Lemonade, I believe is the name of it. The hummingbirds love it!

Carolina Wren Revisited

The Carolina Wren is still at our feeder, I was happy to see it is making it through the cold temps we are having right now. Yesterday I saw a Morning Dove at our feeders, I know some folks in Iowa have them at their feeders all winter long, I think ours take a short vacation south because the leave in the late fall and show up back here late winter.

Carolina Wren in Iowa

We received about 6 inches of snow in my part of the world today. We had an unusal visitor at our bird feeder today, a Carolina Wren. Last winter there were two of them at our feeder most of the winter, today was the first time I have seen one since last spring. We have not had much snow cover until the past week, so maybe that is why it is back at the feeder, it amazes me to see them this far north.