The Birds of Winter

One of my favorite pastimes is sitting, either in the dining room or on the patio, and watching the birds go about their business in our garden (that's English for back yard).

While we have lots of the usual visitors - Mockingbirds, Blue Jays, House Sparrows, Northern Cardinals and Mourning Doves, I've also spotted some seasonal visitors.

 
 At first I mistook these goldfinches in winter plumage for sparrows.  It wasn't until I zoomed in with my camera I realized what they were.

This one seems to be pointing out the fact that there's no birdseed on the wall.

 This isn't a great photo, but I think this is a House Finch. I've only ever seen one a couple of times before, so I may be mistaken.

We had four male Northern Cardinals in the back yard at one time yesterday, but I didn't have my camera handy.  I was able to snap a photo of this female on the wall though.  They are year round residents in the hedgerow behind us.  Unfortunately, that land has been rezoned, so I fear the days are numbered for the hedgerow.  Perhaps the birds will come and take up residence in our back yard.

Another year round resident in the area is "Woody", the Red-bellied Woodpecker.  He likes to perch on the electric poles behind the house and has been heard hammering on the neighbors' Hardi-Plank siding (that must have given him a headache!)

Two birds I saw but just couldn't get a photo of were the Carolina Chickadee and the Tufted Titmouse.  The Chickadees are year round residents but I've only seen the Tufted Titmouse once or twice, usually in winter, so I'm presuming it's just a winter visitor.  I just wish I could have got a photo of him.

I just realized I also don't have any photos of the Blue Jays.  Oh well, I'll just have to get out and take some and do another post in the New Year.

Speaking of which, I wish everyone a safe and happy New Year celebration and a wonderful 2016.


Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

A Weekend in January

Last week I posted about the Goldfinches flocking to the feeders in my garden.  Well, they're still here :-)

They seem to be roosting in the hedgerow across the street behind our house, but each morning they arrive en masse to gorge themselves at the feeders...

... before resting up in the Crepe Myrtle  ...

... Or in the Vitex tree...

They don't stay with us long, but rather refuel to continue their northward migration.  I have never seen an American Goldfinch in its glorious yellow and black plumage.  I only ever see them in their "olive drab", lol.

I didn't spend all weekend sitting around watching birds - I actually did some work in the garden too. 

The compost bin has been getting very difficult to fit stuff in because it is overflowing.  So I decided it was time to "harvest" some of the compost at the bottom of the bin, which would allow me to turn the rest, water it down and get the lid on properly.

I was sweating like crazy by the time I was done, but it needed to be done and I had a sense of accomplishment.  I got two loads like this and added them to the island bed.  

Before putting the lid back on, I used my secateurs to make sure all the garden waste that was sitting on top was chopped into small pieces that would break down more easily, added a layer of soil and watered it down.

During the week, I spent a long overdue afternoon attacking the front flowerbed.  As I was ripping out the nutsedge which is growing rampant along the back of the bed, I discovered that the milkweed I had trimmed back recently is putting out new growth.

So after admiring it and taking its photo, I set to work trimming back the rest of the milkweed and mulching, so the front bed looks tidy once more... at least for a while.

Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

Seasonal Visitors

Shortly after Christmas, I realized that something was seriously wrong with my camera. It had been fine while we were in San Antonio before Christmas, but suddenly, it took to turning itself off every time I turned it on.

We tried replacement batteries to no avail and in the end, my husband offered to get me a new camera.

I selected a Nikon Coolpix P510 and to say I am happy with it would be an understatement!

Among many other features, it has a 42 x zoom capability and although I read in the customer reviews that no one ever needs that much zoom, I thought it sounded like the perfect camera for me.

 I couldn't wait to see what sort of nature photos I could get with it!

I had a chance to try it out this past weekend, as I stood inside the back door, watching the goldfinches in the crepe myrtle tree in the back garden. We have quite a few of them visiting at this time of year and I have some sock feeders out for them which are always a hit.

Last year I read an article that suggested leaving the seedpods on crepe myrtles, instead of trimming them all off.  The article said that the goldfinches would enjoy them.  Have you noticed them eating the crepe myrtle seeds before? I've never noticed if before and I was skeptical about it,  but our visitors certainly did seem to be enjoying the crepe myrtle tree! 

I love the way these photos came out and I'm looking forward to learning more about the camera and how to get the best out of it.

Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

I tawt I taw a puddy tat!

I TAWT I TAW A PUDDY TAT!

I DID, I  TAW A PUDDY TAT!!!

I thought everyone might enjoy this scene I caught this past weekend.  After I put out a new sock feeder, the finches found it very quickly, and before I knew it they were lined up.

Pippin, one of my seven indoor cats thought it was great.  There were about 5 finches out there, and I eventually went to the store and got a two armed hanger and two more sock feeders.