Friday, November 22, 2013

Brrrr It is COLD Outside!

I haven't had much time to stitch, but I did work a little bit on my Prairie Schooler Tom Turkey.

Thursday morning dawned clear and cold... 26F!

The Ali-baba fountain was encrusted with icicles.

The Pansies were not very happy either.

On extra-cold days I try to make sure that everyone has plenty to eat and drink.  These Gold-crowned Sparrows waited as I set out cracked corn. The one on the right appears to have sustained an injury to its beak. 

The female Flicker waited in the morning sun, all puffed up against the bitter cold. 

She flew down to have a bit of breakfast... 

...cracked corn and peanuts.

The House Finches also found a bit of sunshine in an effort to warm up.

They are fans of the sunflower seeds.

In the cold of the morning, even  a Nuthatch deigned to come to the feeder for a bite of breakfast. 

Usually they are residents of the forest and shy away from the open areas around the house.

One of the Sharp-shinned Hawks used the Acorn Woodpecker's granary tree as a look-out post.  

When the temperatures drop below freezing, I bring the hummingbird feeders inside once it gets dark.  Then I put them out at daylight so the birds can immediately have an energizing nectar drink to help battle the cold.    

On Wednesday morning this male had already been to the feeder several times and was talking and preening in a Douglas fir tree. 

With the right pose, the sunlight turned the feathers on his head a ruby red.

He chattered up a storm...

..and showed off his feathers.

Thursday night and Friday night were both forecast to have a low of 19F! That's very cold very early in the season for these parts!  I moved some of my plants into the garage for a couple of days, and covered up others with old towels and blankets in an effort to help them battle the extreme cold.  While my greenhouse is not heated per say, I use turn on two 100 watt bulbs on very cold nights.  In the small space they emit enough heat to keep the temperature inside the unit above freezing.

17 comments:

linda said...

Beautiful birds! I love your photos.

EvalinaMaria said...

26F? Hey that's not cold, we already had -27F! It's getting warmer though - tight now it is 1F and should go up to 19F, tomorrow up to whooping 28F and then mercury goes down... I live on the north, not that far away from the arctic circle.

Your ornie comes nicely and birdies are awesome. Ali-baba fountain looks fantastic!

Carol said...

Sounds like your weather is headed our way, Beth. Our high on Sunday is supposed to be about 26...

Love your progress on Mr. Tom Turkey and the birdies are darling even in the cold!

Margaret said...

Wow, that's really cold! Hope the birds and plants are surviving ok. Love the turkey progress too!

Kristen said...

On extra-cold days I try to make sure that everyone has plenty to eat and drink.

You're a good person Beth. :)

Catherine said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Catherine said...

Any stitches are better than none!! The picture of your fountain is great! So not ready for the cold ~ we are supposed to have two really cold days on Sunday and Monday ~ bundle up days for me!

Bianca said...

Great progress on Tom! I love the picture of the Ali Baba fountain with the icicles.

Barb said...

We are freezing up here too-both birds and people! I feel so sorry for the poor little things with their feathers all puffed up! Beautiful photos of the hummingbird. I haven't seen mine but the nectar is disappearing.

Pam in IL said...

We've got those cold temps headed this way too. This weekend the high is only supposed to be the low 20's. All the birds are so pretty in the sunlight. I especially like the hummingbird. Progress on Tom Turkey is looking great.

Sally said...

Now that's a little chilly lol! Lovely photos.

Nice progress on the turkey.

Magiczny Świat Krzyżyków said...

Oj jak zimno! U mnie w Irlandii temperatura spada do 6 stopni ale powietrze jest mroźne. Mam nadzieję,że nie przemroziło te śliczne kwiaty. Indyk prawie gotowy :) Pozdrawiam.

Andrea said...

Brrrrrr. Great photos.

Ann at Beadlework. said...

The hummingbird photos are just lovely. I hope the little one with the damaged beak is okay - our magpie with the broken legs is still coming most days. It's really vexing to watch how difficult life is for him - you don't realise how much birds rely on their legs till you see this poor fellow.

Chris said...

So glad that little hummer has you!

Maggee said...

The red on the hummingbird is spectacular! Looks like your November project is on a tiny count or over one! Good progress!

Maggee said...

The red on the hummingbird is spectacular! Looks like your November project is on a tiny count or over one! Good progress!