Look Whoooooooo !

Northern Saw-whet Owl

 

This morning while reading in my sanctuary, I heard a "thump" and when I looked up, I saw a glimpse of a bird that had hit the patio window and then flew off.  He landed on top of the pole that normally holds my bird feeder.  I could not believe it, when I saw him.......just the cutest little owl.  I grabbed my camera and took this photo of him and he just sat there for a long time as he was recovering from the shock of hitting the window.  I have no idea why he came by, but when I looked him up on the Internet, I read that they like mice and we have seen the tiny footprints of them scurrying across our patio deck.

Where have all the birdies gone?

I finally had to take all my feeders down when I discovered that my birds were not dying from hitting the windows, but from salmonella!   Apparently, February is a common time of year for birds to contract this disease.  It seems that if you have lots of birds and the feeders are busy, they leave their droppings that contaminate the seeds that fall to the ground.

I do miss seeing my birds, but for now they have dispersed to other feeders while I am disinfecting my own and the deck area where they usually feed.  I'm a bit lonely these days, however, a Downy Woodpecker still visits my suet hanging up on a nearby tree and this little red squirrel has been coming by ever since my birds left.

Beware !!

Cooper's Hawk

A tragic event took place the other day as I was in my studio and glanced up when I saw a huge hawk swoop down right in front of my window.  I could not see what he was after until I got out my binoculars and saw a small bird buried deep in the snow.  I hurried outside to chase the hawk away and ran to rescue my little bird.  As I carried him inside he died in my hand from the trauma of the hawk trying to catch him. Later on I saw the hawk circling around my feeder after another small bird all puffed up sitting alone on the edge of the deck, just hoping not to be seen.

Look Who's In My Backyard!

I thought that after all of the sad news about some of my birds, I decided to post a few of the photos I have taken over this past month of birds that visit my feeder.  So go ahead and enjoy looking at all the birds that visit my backyard! 

 

CLICK on photos to enlarge and get a better view.

 

Downy Woodpecker

 

Common Redpoll



American Goldfinch



Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Red-Breasted Nuthatch

Pine Siskin

Black-Capped Chickadee

 

Now doesn't that just make you want to start feeding your birds too?

"Red"

This morning I found Red laying on the ground near our bird feeder.  I am not going to post anymore photos of my special birds who have died.  I can't bury them in the ground yet, so my freezer is getting full and my husband is not too pleased about that!  I put up some aluminum foil strips to deter the birds from the windows in our sun room, so I hope this will help.

Another Bird Falls to the Ground

Today, I found Ruby shivering all alone perched on the edge of the deck, when all of the sudden, I saw Red come over and snuggle up to her.  They were both hurting from flying into the window and seemed to need each other to keep warm.  After a long time of snuggling with each other, Red flew away and I came over to see Ruby and offer her some food.  She was so puffed up and shaking, so I gently touched her.  She did not flinch or pull away from my hand, so I softly placed my hand over her to keep her warm and she snuggled up into my hand.  After a few minutes I felt her try to spread her wings and then she relaxed and died in the palm of my hand.  It was such a special moment that reminds me of God's love for us and how He holds us in the palm of His Hand.

More New Friends, "Ruby" & "Red"

Today while painting in my studio with my friend, Tracy, we looked out the window and saw a small, puffed up, shivering, female Redpoll sitting on a thorn bush near my window.  She seemed so frail and acted like she was hurt.  It looks like she might be a window casualty too the way she has been hobbling along the edge of the feeder.  Tracy named her, "Ruby".




Later on, I noticed another Redpoll on the ground, all puffed up too and wobbling around like his wings were hurt. He is a male and I named him "Red". The male Redpolls are always more colorful than the females with a beautiful red chest, hmmm...it seems like the females should have the colorful chests, don't you think?

A Sad Day

It was such a sad day as I was looking out my window trying to photograph another one of my favorite birds, when I saw something sticking out of the snow.  I took a photo of this object and when I enlarged it, I saw that it was a bird.  I went outside to see if it could possibly be Puff since he has been gone for the past couple of days, and sure enough, it was Puff....a sad day for me.  One of the lessons that I have learned from the birds is that sometimes "our wings get broken too" and God so tenderly covers us with His hand of healing.

My Special Friend, "Puff"

 Over the past few days, I have become so attached to my new friend, Puff.  He has let me come so close to him, as you can see in my photo with him.  I believe that perhaps he flew into the window and that is why his feathers look so ragged and out of joint and why he is so warm & friendly with me!

Sunday's Inspirations

This afternoon I was putting out more birdseed in my bird feeder when a very small Pine Siskin was pecking at some sunflower seeds on the ground near my feet.  He was all puffed up, trying to stay warm, but seemed to stay around my feet, as if to say, "Hey, I'm down here, won't you help me keep warm?"  So, I  bent down and held out my hand to my shivering bird, but he did not accept my offer of food.  I gently began to stroke his back with my hand, and he liked it!  It was an awesome moment for me, to actually touch one of these tiny birds that come daily to my feeder.

Look who's knocking on my door!

A pen & ink sketch of my Woodpecker, Woody!

In the beginning.....

I am about to begin a new journey into the world of blogging and to share my inspirations as an artist and bird lover.  Would care to join me?