copywrite©Marjie Gemmell
CHRISTMAS BIRDING
It is less than a week until Christmas and for nearly everyone, it is the one of the busiest times of the year.
There are Christmas cards to be addressed and mailed, Christmas presents to be shopped for, purchased, wrapped, delivered. Cookies must be baked, holiday food purchased and on and on it goes. I have a dozen reminder notes stuck here and there, so I won’t forgot some small, but significant thing that needs my attention.
Certainly there is no time left over to think about birds or bird
watching-----or is there?
For me personally, THERE IS ALWAYS TIME FOR BIRDS! It may be only a glimpse at the feeders as I hurry by the window, or watching for roadside birds when I’m on my way to the mall, but birds are on my mind throughout the day, Christmas season or no. I doubt I am alone in this. Birders everywhere are probably sneaking peaks at birds, despite the demands of the season.
I hope you have a great and Merry Christmas, and I hope you find a few minutes to kick back and watch birds. Good Birding.
Cheeps & Chirps!
Marjie Gemmell
To learn more about bird identification go to:
www.easybirdidentification.com
Posted by Marjie Gemmell
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
MELTING SNOW OBSCURES BIRDS
copyright©MarjieGemmell
MELTING SNOW OBSCURES BIRDS
After our five inch snow fall a few days ago, rain and some warmer than expected temperatures brought the expected results,
melting snow.
My morning walk was a wet one. Activity along the my walking trail was very slow. After a mile or so, I finally heard rustling in the undergrowth but the noise makers were difficult to find. The snow had melted in some spots, leaving dark areas in the surrounding snow-covered vegetation.
I could see a bird or two flitting across the bright snow patches, then seeming to disappear into the bare, wet patches. It was just a matter of my eyes adjusting to the background, and finally I was able to find the birds after they dived into the exposed areas.
What did I find? Well, not much if, I were counting species, but on a fairly quiet day, a couple Song Sparrows and a Carolina Wren added some excitement to my walk. It was fun to watch them and to observe how easily the exposed ground helped camouflage the birds as opposed to when they were picking around in the snow.
Guess it doesn’t take much to amuse me…Good Birding!
Cheeps and Chirps!
Marjie Gemmell
To learn more about bird identification go to:
www.easybirdidentification.com
Posted by Marjie Gemmell
MELTING SNOW OBSCURES BIRDS
After our five inch snow fall a few days ago, rain and some warmer than expected temperatures brought the expected results,
melting snow.
My morning walk was a wet one. Activity along the my walking trail was very slow. After a mile or so, I finally heard rustling in the undergrowth but the noise makers were difficult to find. The snow had melted in some spots, leaving dark areas in the surrounding snow-covered vegetation.
I could see a bird or two flitting across the bright snow patches, then seeming to disappear into the bare, wet patches. It was just a matter of my eyes adjusting to the background, and finally I was able to find the birds after they dived into the exposed areas.
What did I find? Well, not much if, I were counting species, but on a fairly quiet day, a couple Song Sparrows and a Carolina Wren added some excitement to my walk. It was fun to watch them and to observe how easily the exposed ground helped camouflage the birds as opposed to when they were picking around in the snow.
Guess it doesn’t take much to amuse me…Good Birding!
Cheeps and Chirps!
Marjie Gemmell
To learn more about bird identification go to:
www.easybirdidentification.com
Posted by Marjie Gemmell
Sunday, December 9, 2007
CLUSTER of CARDINALS
copyright©MarjieGemmell
CLUSTER OF CARDINALS
A few days ago we had our first significant snowfall of the season. The snow began around midnight and continued through most of the daylight hours, netting us about five inches of the white stuff.
This snow was of the wet, heavy variety which mounds so beautifully on fences, porch rails, tree limbs and bird feeders. It is the type of snow provides perfect photo opportunities, no matter your level of expertise, or what direction you aim your camera.
All very nice if you are interested in photography, but for me the biggest thrill of a heavy snowfall is that it acts like a casting call for Northern Cardinals. Boy do they come out of the woodwork!
Cardinals are no strangers in our yard. We always have a few males and females feeding on sunflower seed, darting in and out of the bushes. But bring on a few inches of snow and presto … cardinals by the dozen.
To my eye there is nothing as breathtaking as the bright, vivid red of the male cardinal against dazzling white snow. Multiply that by 30 or 40 cardinals, and it is truly a sight to behold.
Hope you had some good bird sightings today too.
Cheeps and Chirps!
Marjie Gemmell
To learn more about bird identification go to:
www.easybirdidentification.com
Posted by Marjie Gemmell
CLUSTER OF CARDINALS
A few days ago we had our first significant snowfall of the season. The snow began around midnight and continued through most of the daylight hours, netting us about five inches of the white stuff.
This snow was of the wet, heavy variety which mounds so beautifully on fences, porch rails, tree limbs and bird feeders. It is the type of snow provides perfect photo opportunities, no matter your level of expertise, or what direction you aim your camera.
All very nice if you are interested in photography, but for me the biggest thrill of a heavy snowfall is that it acts like a casting call for Northern Cardinals. Boy do they come out of the woodwork!
Cardinals are no strangers in our yard. We always have a few males and females feeding on sunflower seed, darting in and out of the bushes. But bring on a few inches of snow and presto … cardinals by the dozen.
To my eye there is nothing as breathtaking as the bright, vivid red of the male cardinal against dazzling white snow. Multiply that by 30 or 40 cardinals, and it is truly a sight to behold.
Hope you had some good bird sightings today too.
Cheeps and Chirps!
Marjie Gemmell
To learn more about bird identification go to:
www.easybirdidentification.com
Posted by Marjie Gemmell
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