February 19, 2010 - 1
A bit of warmth, and temperatures above freezing this week, left last week's Festive Snowman Fred looking like Fred The Undead! His brazil nut eyes had fallen to the ground, leaving an erie pair of hollow eye sockets. Even a part of Fred's large, distinctive nose had melted away. No worries though, snow-people are easily repaired and there's still plenty of snow to work with. I spent a few moments rebuilding where needed, adding just the right amount of snow to bring the oversized nose back to it's former character and to replace the eyes. Voila! Fred the snowman was as good as new and his finite lifespan was extended for just a while longer.Meanwhile, the nights are getting shorter and the days are growing longer. Sunrise occurred in the backyard this morning at 6:50. Sunset will arrive at 5:39 this evening. Having gained eighteen minutes this week, we're up to 10 hours and 49 minutes of illuminating sunlight each day! And, we're just four weeks and a day away from Spring. Glorious, Spring!
Backyard Tip of the week:
With all of the storms we've had recently, the snow has been piling up quickly. During these times it's important to remember our feathered friends. Clearing the snow down to a spot of ground near any bird feeders is a great way to help the ground feeding birds. Taking a few moments to clear snow from the roofs of bird feeders will also help your backyard birds by providing a familiar landing spot for their feeding routine. Try it, you're sure to love it!
Backyard sightings for last week:
Including northern cardinals, dark-eyed juncos, blue-jays, brown creepers, song sparrows, tree sparrows, white-throated sparrows. American robins, Carolina wrens, Carolina chickadees, catbirds, mockingbirds, house finches, goldfinches, purple finches and pine siskins. Red-bellied and downy woodpeckers, yellow-bellied sapsuckers. Northern flickers, white-breasted nuthatches, tufted titmice, starlings, grackles, mourning doves, crows, and a small unidentified hawk that was seen perched at the top of the willow tree.
Continued on next page...
February 19, 2010 Part 2 - Cool Sightings
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