Here We Are and It's December

 

I'm taken with this new Prairie Schooler chart.  I like the two reindeer ornaments, the partridge, the trees.  Well, I like most of them I guess.  I think I'll start with the green reindeer top row center. And I need to buy some more DMC.

The lights on the house are lit and the tree is decorated!  The Paperbark Maple is decorated anyway.  I wonder what the deer and the birds think of it. 

Here's my Best Bird Shot of late.  It's a photo of the ever-flitting Ruby Crowned Kinglet.  The smallbirds are very active in the mature Douglas Fir trees now.  The problem is two-fold - they are tiny little things and they do not stay still.  I think I took 20 photos and only managed to get one that was worth showing. 

It was much easier to photograph this couple.

A female Oregon Junco

A male Oregon Junco

Lots and lots and lots of California Quail in the backyard. 

Here they are making a dash from the safety of the berm to the bird feeders. 

I've counted several times now and get between 28 to 32 birds!

I just wish I could manage a photo or two of the entire group.

My photos are male-heavy, but I think the group is pretty evenly split.

It's now impossible to tell this year's babies from the mature adults.

That's a lot of growing and maturing in just 5 month's time.

We are supposed get an Arctic Blast mid-week with highs around freezing and lows in the 'teens'.  That only happens every 5 years or so.  I'll need to empty the bird baths and fountains so they do not crack and freeze.  I'm going to move most of my potted plants inside the garage or shop.  And I think I need to cover the greenhouse with blankets so that it will better retain heat.  Lots to do in the next couple of days.